Fri Jan 03 06:43:25 UTC 2025: ## China Slams US Defense Firms with Fresh Sanctions Over Taiwan Arms Sales
**BEIJING** – China has significantly escalated its economic pressure on the United States, announcing a second round of sanctions against ten American defense companies in less than a week. This brings the total number of US entities penalized by Beijing to 45, including 17 firms sanctioned and 28 added to an export control list. The latest sanctions target subsidiaries of major defense contractors Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and General Dynamics, among others.
The Ministry of Commerce cited the sale of arms to Taiwan as the reason for the sanctions, adding the ten companies to Beijing’s “Unreliable Entities List.” This prohibits them from all import and export activities in China, investment, and bars their senior management from entering the country.
This latest action follows a similar round of sanctions imposed on seven US companies just six days prior, including a Boeing Defense subsidiary. These actions underscore the escalating tensions between China and the US over Taiwan, which Beijing considers a breakaway province and has not ruled out using force to reclaim.
The sanctions come amid increased military drills by China following the May election of Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te. The US, Taiwan’s largest arms supplier, recently approved a $571 million defense aid package for the island nation. China views US arms sales to Taiwan as interference in its internal affairs and a violation of its sovereignty.
In addition to the sanctions, China also added 28 US entities, primarily defense companies, to its Export Control List, effectively banning the export of dual-use items to them. The Ministry of Commerce stated these measures are to safeguard national security and fulfill international non-proliferation obligations. The ongoing dispute highlights the increasingly fraught geopolitical landscape surrounding Taiwan and the deepening economic conflict between China and the United States.
First Piper 