China warns Washington of ‘first red line’, sanctions US defence firms over arms sales to Taiwan
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "China warns Washington of ‘first red line’, sanctions US defence firms over arms sales to Taiwan")
Photograph: (AFP (File Photo)
The Trump administration announced eight new arms packages for Taiwan worth more than $11 billion, marking a one-time, record defence sale to Taipei and a major expansion of US military support for the island.
China on Friday (Dec 26) announced a series of countermeasures against United States defence firms after Washington inked a record weapons sale with Taiwan. The sanction list issued by Beijing named 20 defence firms, including Boeing and Northrop Grumman, along with 10 senior executives related to these firms. Beijing described the Taiwan issue as the "heart of China's core interests" and cautioned that the "first red line" must not be crossed in China-US relations.
“We stress once again that the Taiwan question is at the very core of China’s core interests and the first red line that must not be crossed in China－U.S. relations. Anyone who attempts to cross the line and make provocations on the Taiwan question will be met with China’s firm response”, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
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"Any company or individual who engages in arms sales to Taiwan will pay the price for the wrongdoing. No country or force shall ever underestimate the resolve, will and ability of the Chinese government and people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity," it added.
The Trump administration earlier this month announced a one-time, record-breaking arms sale to Taiwan, approving eight new defence packages worth more than $11 billion.
The US State Department cleared the sales, which include over $4 billion for 60 M107A7 self-propelled howitzers and related equipment, 82 M142 HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, 420 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), more than $1 billion worth of ALTIUS tube-launched loitering drone munitions, and $353 million in TOW missiles.
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The Ministry further announced freezing of "movable and immovable" asset of these firms in the country “Their movable and immovable properties, and other kinds of assets within China shall be frozen; all organisations and individuals within China shall be prohibited from engaging in transaction, cooperation and other activities with them; and they shall be denied visas or entry into China.”
