TMTPost -- China takes steps to counter the U.S. sanctions on Chinese firms that are alleged for aid Russia’s war against Ukraine and American entities’ arms sale to China’s Taiwan region.

Credit：the Global Times

China has decided to impose sanctions on a total of 12 U.S. defense industry companies and 10 senior executives of these companies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China (MFA) announced on Wednesday, cited the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law. The U.S. government has imposed illegal unilateral sanctions on multiple Chinese entities under the pretext of alleged Russian factors, engaging in unilateral bullying and economic coercion, the ministry claimed. It also said the U.S. side has been selling weapons to the Taiwan region, severely violating the one-China principle and the provisions of the three Sino-US joint communiques, interfering in China's internal affairs, and seriously undermining China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The countermeasures, effective on Wednesday, target Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Javelin Joint Venture, Raytheon Missile Systems, General Dynamics Ordnance & Tactical Systems, General Dynamics Information Technology, General Dynamics Mission Systems, Intercoastal Electronics, Systems Research and Simulation, Iron Mountain Solutions, Applied Technologies Group, and Axient. The properties of the aforementioned companies in China, including their movable and immovable property are frozen, the Chinese Foreign ministry said. No visa are issued to the 10 senior executives and they are not be allow to enter China, which includes the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and the Macau SAR.  

The new sanctions came days after China's Ministry of Commerce announced inclusion of U.S. companies to unreliable entities list as they sold arms to the Taiwan region. The companies include General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems, and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. They will be barred from engaging in China-related import or export activities, and are forbidden to make new investments in China, according to an announcement on Monday. Moreover, senior executives of the companies are prohibited from entering China, while their work permits will be revoked, along with their visitor and residential status, and the related applications they submit will not be approved.

It is now clear that if the US sanctions and punishes Chinese companies using the Ukraine crisis as a pretext, China will resolutely defend its interests with countermeasures, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the state-backed newspaper Global Times on Wednesday. The latest actions are significantly different from the past as China used to primarily express its principles through diplomatic language and declarations of its stance, but now it is more resolute in implementing specific actions, Li said.

Prior to the sanctions, Chinese Foriegn Minister Wang Yi stressed China’s solemn position on the Taiwan question during the meeting of the Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States in Astana on Tuesday. Wang noted that the Taiwan question is at the very core of China’s core interests and “Taiwan independence” separatist activities are the biggest disrupting factor to cross-Strait peace. Wang said all “Taiwan independence” separatists will see their names written on the wall of shame. No matter what gimmicks such separatists like Lai Ching-te play, they will not stop China’s complete reunification and Taiwan’s return to the embrace of the motherland, Wang observed.