China sanctions Lockheed Martin, Raytheon over Taiwan arms gross sales
3 min readLockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Missile and Defense Corp, a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies Corp, are prohibited from “engaging in import and export activities related to China,” China’s commerce ministry stated in a press release.
Beijing,UPDATED: Feb 17, 2023 07:35 IST
The emblem of Lockheed Martin is seen at Euronaval, the world naval defence exhibition in Le Bourget close to Paris, France, October 23, 2018. (Reuters photograph)
By Reuters: China on Thursday put Lockheed Martin and a unit of Raytheon Technologies on an “unreliable entities list” over arms gross sales to Taiwan, banning them from imports and exports associated to China in its newest sanctions in opposition to the US firms.
The measures come amid heightened tensions after the US army shot down what it says was a Chinese spy balloon, and a day after Beijing warned of “countermeasures against relevant US entities that undermine China’s sovereignty and security”.
Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Missile and Defense Corp, a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies Corp, are prohibited from “engaging in import and export activities related to China,” China’s commerce ministry stated in a press release.
“These are symbolic measures and unnecessary – that’s how we view them,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre informed reporters on Thursday.
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Neither firm sells protection merchandise to China. Raytheon declined to remark. Raytheon Technologies sells its Pratt & Whitney plane engines, in addition to touchdown gear and controls, to China’s industrial aviation trade.
Lockheed, which exports to greater than 70 nations, stated in a press release, “Foreign Military Sales are government-to-government transactions and we work closely with the US government on any military sales to international customers. Lockheed Martin closely adheres to United States government policy with regard to conducting business with foreign governments.”
Lockheed makes the F-22 Raptor fighter jet, which flew the mission to shoot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina, utilizing the AIM-9X Sidewinder missile made by Raytheon.
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Beijing additionally banned the businesses from additional funding in China, barred senior administration from getting into the nation, canceled residence permits for any workers in China and imposed fines which might be double the contracted quantities of their arms gross sales to Taiwan.
It was not clear how China would implement such fines, which it stated have to be paid inside 15 days.
Last February, China sanctioned the 2 firms over a $100 million arms sale to Taiwan, a self-ruled island which Beijing views as a breakaway province.
On a minimum of two earlier events China has introduced sanctions in opposition to Lockheed and Raytheon, in 2019 and 2020, although Beijing has not defined what these sanctions entailed or how they have been enforced.
The US doesn’t promote weapons to China. However, the United States is sure by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to offer Taiwan with the means to defend itself, and U.S. weapons gross sales at all times entice China’s anger.
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Published On:
Feb 17, 2023
