China today announced sanctions against five American companies in the defense sector for the sale of weapons from the North American country to Taiwan.
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In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs He indicated that the aforementioned sale and the sanctions imposed by Washington on Chinese entities and individuals “seriously damage the sovereignty and security interests” of the Asian country and “undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
In response, Beijing will impose sanctions against military systems manufacturer Alliant Techsystems Operations, unmanned aerial vehicle producer AeroVironment, communications equipment and services supplier ViaSat, military communications systems developer Data Link Solutions, and military equipment manufacturer BAE Systems Land and Armament.
These reprisals will involve freezing the properties of those firms in China and the prohibition of both organizations and citizens in the Asian country from carrying out transactions or cooperating with them.
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“The Chinese Government remains unwavering in its determination to defend national security, security and territorial integrity,” said a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, who demanded that Washington “stop arming Taiwan and putting China in the target of illegal unilateral sanctions.”
“Otherwise, there will be a strong and determined response from China“warned the spokesperson.
In mid-December, the US closed a sale for 300 million dollars equipment and assistance Taiwan so that the island army could improve its tactical capabilities.
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Weeks before, Beijing had already protested US arms sales to the island, accusing Taipei of “seeking independence by relying on the US.” and turning the territory into an “arsenal” and an “explosive island.”
The sanctions come less than a week before the presidential elections in Taiwan, in which the current vice president and candidate of the ruling party, William Lai, starts as a favorite despite the warning of the main opposition candidate, more inclined to dialogue with Beijing, that only an opposition victory could avoid a “war” with China.
In his end-of-year speech, the Chinese president, Xi Jinpingassured that the “reunification” of China with Taiwan is a “historical inevitability.”
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Taiwan – where the Chinese nationalist army withdrew after the defeat at the hands of communist troops in the civil war (1927-1949) – has been governed autonomously since the end of the war, although China claims sovereignty over the island, which he considers a rebellious province for whose “reunification” he has not ruled out the use of force.
The Taiwanese issue is one of the main points of friction between Beijing and Washingtonsince the US is Taipei’s main arms supplier and could defend the island in the event of a conflict.
