China's Foreign Ministry announced today that it has imposed sanctions on 10 individuals and 20 US defense companies, including Boeing's St. Louis branch. This move comes after the US last week announced an 11,1 billion USD arms deal for Taiwan. The package, which included mid-range missiles, HIMARS artillery, and drones, marked the largest US arms sale to the island to date and drew strong criticism from Beijing.

"The Taiwan issue is at the core of China's interests, representing the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations. Any provocative action that crosses this line on the Taiwan issue will be met with a resolute response from China," the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated.

The sanctions entail freezing all assets held by these companies and individuals in China and prohibiting domestic organizations and individuals from conducting transactions with them. Additionally, the individuals on the sanctions list, which include the founder of defense company Anduril Industries and 9 senior executives from the sanctioned firms, are banned from entering China.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry also urged the US to halt its "dangerous" efforts to arm Taiwan.

US (left) and Chinese flags at an event in Guangzhou, Guangdong province in 2024. *Photo: AFP*

Beijing consistently views Taiwan as an inalienable part of its territory and asserts its readiness to use all measures to achieve unification. While the US commits to the "One China" principle, it maintains unofficial relations with Taiwan and continues to supply the island with modern weaponry.

This policy is partly mandated by the Taiwan Relations Act. Signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1979, after Washington established diplomatic ties with Beijing, the Act requires the US to support Taiwan's defense capabilities.

Huyen Le (According to Reuters)