China sanctions 13 US firms, 6 executives over Taiwan arms sales

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – China on Thursday imposed sanctions on at least 13 American defense firms and six executives over arms sales to Taiwan, which Beijing considers its “breakaway province.”

“Taiwan independence and peace in the Taiwan Straits are fundamentally incompatible,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing.

“The US insistence on using force to support Taiwan independence cannot alter China's firm resolve to oppose Taiwan independence and achieve national reunification,” he added.

The outgoing Biden administration has approved at least 17 arms sales to Taipei since 2021, “much to the chagrin of Beijing.”

The US firms and executives sanctioned by Beijing include Teledyne Brown Engineering, BRINC Drones, Rapid Flight LLC, Red Six Solutions, Shield AI, SYNEXXUS, Firestorm Labs, Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems, HavocAI, Neros Technologies, Cyberlux Corporation, Domo Tactical Communications, Group W.

Barbara Borgonovi, Gerard Hueber, Charles Woodburn, Richard D. Crawford, Beth Edler, and Blake Resnick are among the executives targeted by China.

The Foreign Ministry said their assets in China have been frozen while Chinese entities have been banned from dealing with those sanctioned, and the sanctioned executives would be banned from entering China, including Hongkong and Macau.

Beijing’s sanctions on US firms came at a time when Taiwanese regional leader William Ching-te Lai is on an official trip to Taipei’s three allies in the southern Pacifics.

The US moves “will only push Taiwan into a perilous situation of war and conflict,” said the spokesman, urging Washington to uphold the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques.

“The US must honor its commitment not to support Taiwan independence, immediately halt arms sales to Taiwan, and cease supporting Taiwan independence forces in their pursuit of independence through military means,” he added.

Lai, who began his first overseas trip last Saturday since being inaugurated in May, is on a three-nation tour to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau, from where he will return to the capital Taipei.

During his trip, he spent two nights in the US territories of Hawaii and one night in Guam where he also visited Governor Lourdes Leon Guerrero at her residence.

This is the first time that any Taiwanese political figure has visited the governor’s residence.

Lai also reportedly spoke with US House Speaker Mike Johnson during his stopover in Guam.

Taiwan has insisted on its independence since 1949, enjoying full diplomatic relations with 12 nations.