China sanctioned 12 American military companies and 10 defense executives on May 22 in response to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and sanctions against Chinese firms the U.S. has accused of aiding Russia in its war against Ukraine.
The Chinese government claimed that the U.S. has ignored China's "objective and fair stance" on Russia's war in Ukraine and "indiscriminately" sanctioned several Chinese entities in light of Russian-related factors, the statement read.
Beijing also condemned the U.S. for continuing to sell arms to Taiwan, allegedly "interfering in China's internal affairs and seriously damaging China's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
The sanctioned companies include subsidiaries of Lockheed Martin Corp., General Dynamics, IronMountain Solutions, and Applied Technologies Group, according to the statement. The entities' assets will be frozen in China.
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Regarding the sanctioned executives list, six senior representatives of Northrop Grumman Corp., including Chief Executive Officer Kathy Warden, and four of General Dynamics, including Vice President Firat Gezen, will be banned from entering China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
The Chinese sanctions are mostly symbolic, as the mentioned companies do not usually do business in China.
The U.S. on May 1 imposed new sanctions against 300 more companies and individuals in Russia and third countries, including Chinese companies, for aiding Moscow's war effort.
The same month, Washington extended the list of sanctions even further, adding 37 more companies to the trade blacklist due to security reasons.
Beijing has maintained close ties with Moscow during the war, increasing economic cooperation and disrupting Western attempts to isolate Russia.
Expanded trade with China has played a key role in allowing Moscow to keep its economy running and ramp up its military industry despite Western economic pressure.
Read also: Taiwan’s FM: ‘If Russia can do that to Ukraine, China might do the same to Taiwan’