China said Wednesday it has imposed sanctions on 12 U.S. companies and their 10 executives in response to American arms sales to Taiwan, announcing its measures against Washington for the third straight day following the inauguration of the island's new leader.
The 12 firms include units of Lockheed Martin Corp. and Raytheon Co. The measures include freezing their assets in China and banning their senior executives from entering the Asian country, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
On Tuesday, Beijing banned former U.S. lawmaker Mike Gallagher from entry into China and froze his domestic assets. Gallagher, known for his strong stance on Chinese policies and often labeled a China hawk, led a bipartisan delegation to Taiwan in February, where he met with then President-elect Lai Ching-te.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a congratulatory message to Lai on his inauguration Monday. On the same day, China announced similar sanctions on three U.S. defense firms over arms sales to Taiwan.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin criticized the United States Tuesday for sending "a seriously wrong signal" to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and warned that Beijing would respond resolutely.
