China has announced new sanctions on 20 U.S. defence companies, including a Boeing subsidiary, in response to Washington’s recent $11 billion arms sales to Taiwan. Beijing views Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes foreign military support to the island, which it has threatened to reclaim by force if necessary.
The sanctioned companies include Boeing’s defence manufacturing branch in St. Louis and aerospace giant Northrop Grumman. Chinese restrictions prohibit domestic entities from conducting business with these firms, and their assets in China will be frozen. In addition, China imposed travel bans on 10 executives, barring them from entering the country, including Hong Kong and Macau.
Beijing stated that the U.S. arms sales violate the “one-China principle” and severely undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Many of the targeted companies have limited or no business operations in China and some have faced previous sanctions. Boeing and Northrop Grumman have not yet commented on the latest measures.
