An army main battle tank rolls out of a naval air cushioned landing craft during a joint combat training exercise conducted by an army brigade and a naval landing ship group under the PLA Southern Theater Command on Feb.8. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Li Jia)

 
China decided to take countermeasures against Raytheon and Lockheed Martin after the two US defense firms acted as the main contractors in the latest US arms sale to the island of Taiwan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Monday.
 
To safeguard China's sovereignty and security interests, the Chinese government has decided to take countermeasures against the move by US arms firms that participated in the selling of weapons to the island over a long period of time, namely Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin Corporation. The companies will be punished based on the related regulations by China's Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson at China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a routine press conference on Monday. 

Wang's statement comes after the US announced its plan on February 7 to sell $100 million worth of Patriot missile upgrades to the island of Taiwan. The Chinese Foreign Ministry responded at that time that China would take proper and powerful countermeasures.

The US' sale of arms severely violates the one-China principle and the regulations of the three Joint Communiqués between China and the US, especially those in the August 17 communiqué, Wang said, noting that it severely harms China's sovereignty and security interests, China-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits.

"China firmly opposes and strongly condemns this," Wang said.

China again urged the US government and relevant parties to abide by the one-China principle and regulations of the three Joint Communiqués, cancel the arms sale plan immediately and cut off military ties with Taiwan, Wang said.

China will continue to take all necessary measures based on the development of the situation, and resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty and security interests, Wang said.

The Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, adopted at the closing meeting of a session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on June 10, 2021, enables China to take countermeasures against those who interfere with China's internal affairs, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The countermeasures include refusing to issue visas, banning entry into China, invalidating visas, and deportation, sealing up, seizing and freezing movable, immovable and other types of property in China, prohibiting from conducting related transactions with domestic organizations or individuals, and other necessary measures, according to the law.
 
Global Times