Beijing has stated that these measures are retaliation for weapons sales to Taipei
China has imposed sanctions on 20 more U.S. weapons manufacturers and 10 executives as retaliation for the most recent U.S. arms sale to Taiwan.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced the measures on Friday, expanding an existing blacklist targeting the U.S. defense sector. Beijing noted it was responding to actions that undermine its sovereignty over Taiwan under the One-China policy.
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump approved an $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan—the largest ever arms package for the self-governing island and the second since he took office in January. Taipei stated the deal includes HIMARS rocket systems, howitzers, Javelin anti-tank missiles, Altius loitering munition drones, and other military hardware.
Beijing condemned the move, accusing the U.S. of fanning pro-independence sentiment on the island and escalating cross-strait tensions.
After their defeat in the civil war, Chinese nationalist forces fled to Taiwan, where they governed the island as the Republic of China. However, the U.S. formally recognized Beijing’s authority under President Richard Nixon and his policy of rapprochement, and the People’s Republic of China was admitted to the UN as a permanent member of the Security Council. Still, Washington has remained Taipei’s primary defense supplier.
China says its goal is peaceful reunification but has repeatedly warned it would use force if the island’s authorities formally declare independence.
Joe Biden was the first U.S. president to publicly vow to use American military forces to defend Taiwan in the event of an armed conflict, departing from the long-standing policy of strategic ambiguity—intended to deter risky actions by either side.
Most of China’s restrictions on U.S. weapons makers are linked to Taiwan, though some imposed last year were framed as retaliation for U.S. sanctions on companies the Biden administration introduced in connection with the Ukraine conflict. Washington has accused Beijing of supporting Moscow in its war with Kyiv.