China Slaps Boeing, Lockheed, Raytheon With Sanctions Over Arms Sales To Taiwan

It has been a turbulent week for Sino-US relations. Beijing criticized US Secretary of State Antony Blinken over his support for Taiwan’s new president, and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) imposed sanctions on US defense firms over Taiwan support.

President Lai Ching-te was sworn in early Monday. Shortly after, Blinken released this statement, “We also congratulate the Taiwan people for once again demonstrating the strength of their robust and resilient democratic system.”

Blinken added, “The partnership between the American people and the Taiwan people, rooted in democratic values, continues to broaden and deepen across trade, economic, cultural, and people-to-people ties.”

These comments did not sit well with Beijing…

“It’s a serious violation of the political commitment made by the US to maintain only cultural, commercial and other unofficial relations with the Taiwan region,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Tuesday in response to Blinken’s comments.

Fast-forward to Wednesday, when MOFA imposed sanctions on twelve US defense contractors and ten of their top executives for supplying Taiwan with arms, according to the Hong Kong media outlet Dimsum Daily.