China will be sanctioning major US defense companies. As a result of retaliation for multibillion-dollar US sales to Taiwan. The Chinese foreign ministry made the announcement. Also, China is going to sanction US individual entities.
China considers Taiwan a rogue Chinese province. But recently, the United States signed a major arms deal with Taiwan. China thinks it is a violation of its one-China principle. The Chinese government retaliated by sanctioning several major US defense companies. Sanctions were also made to “the US individuals entities who played an egregious role.”
The US-Taiwan deal
Taiwan has made $2.37 billion worth of purchase from the US. These were the purchase of the Boeing-made Harpoon Coastal Defense System. The US’s Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 enabled the deal. The Taiwan Relations Act defines the relations between the two governments.
It additionally mandates the provision of defense materials and services to Taiwan. Moreover, a $1.8 billion package sale was approved. These included missiles, rocket artillery, aerial reconnaissance sensors, and an August sale of 66 F-16 fighter jets.
Three China-US Communiqués
The arms deal between the US and Taiwan enraged China. This is because China thinks that Taiwan belongs to it. Zhao called on the US to stop selling weapons to Taiwan or having military ties with it.
“The US arms sales to Taiwan severely violate the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, and seriously undermine China’s sovereignty and security interests. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns it,” said Zhao.
The three China-US communique is a diplomatic treaty signed by both US and China four decades ago. The treaty recognized the People’s Republic of China. Moreover, it cut all diplomatic ties with Taiwan. However, the US does not recognize China’s claim over Taiwan formally. The US declassified Reagan-era cables. It gave security assurances to Taiwan and continued arms sales.
US – Taiwan – China relations
Taiwan’s diplomatic relations with the US have grown. But its relations with China has gone sour. Moreover, China and the US are in a constant trade war. Washington adjusted its one-China policy to “the increasing threat posed by Beijing to peace and stability in the region” and its targeting of Taiwan.
“In the face of China’s military expansion and provocations, Taiwan will continue to strengthen the modernization of its defensive capabilities and accelerate the improvement of its asymmetrical capabilities to maintain regional peace and stability,” Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
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