China imposed sanctions on two U.S. defense companies over arms deals with Taiwan.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning announced on Friday that it sanctioned Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin under the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law of the People's Republic of China, and she warned the United States to stop arming the independent island nation that Beijing considers a rogue part of its territory.
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"The US is going further down the wrong and dangerous path of arming Taiwan," she explained. "Let me stress, the Chinese government never wavers in its resolve of safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity. We call on the US to earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-US joint communiqués, stop arms sales to Taiwan, stop military collusion with Taiwan, and stop arming Taiwan, otherwise it will be met with China’s resolute response."
Mao referenced Lockheed Martin's role as the primary contractor for a U.S. arms sale to Taiwan last month and said Northrop Grumman has repeatedly provided weapons to Taiwan. The administration announced in late August an $80 million package using the Foreign Military Financing program, which is for "defense articles and services necessary to enable it to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability," a State Department spokesperson told the Washington Examiner at the time.
China has previously sanctioned various U.S. defense companies for selling weapons to Taiwan.
"Foreign Military Sales are government-to-government transactions and we work closely with the U.S. government on any military sales to international customers," a Lockheed Martin spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. "Lockheed Martin closely adheres to United States government policy with regard to conducting business with foreign governments."
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The Chinese Communist Party views Taiwan as a breakaway province and has maintained the possibility that it will use force to achieve a unification of the island to the mainland. China has focused on expanding and strengthening its military in recent years, and leaders have spoken about their desire to have the military capable of taking Taiwan by force by 2027.
The U.S. does not support Taiwan's independence or any unilateral change in the status quo from either side, while Chinese officials have argued that certain U.S. decisions, such as arming Taiwan, indicate a change in policy, though U.S. officials deny the claim.