China Slaps Sanctions on Lockheed Martin Over Taiwan Arms Deals

China has banned several business units of Lockheed Martin and three of its executives due to arms deals with Taiwan. The move is mostly symbolic as US-China military cooperation has been suspended since 1989. Taiwan continues to rely on US for defense amid rising threats from China.

China announced on Friday that it has imposed sanctions on various business units of the American aviation giant Lockheed Martin Corp, along with three of its top executives. The punitive measures come as a response to the company's arms dealings with Taiwan, a self-governing territory that Beijing claims as its own.

A statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that Lockheed Martin's collaboration with Taiwan violated China's sovereignty. This follows China's usual practice of condemning any foreign interactions that support Taiwan's government.

While the sanctions appear to be largely symbolic, given that US-China military cooperation has been on hold since the crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 1989, the named sanctions include Lockheed Martin Missile System Integration Lab, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories, and Lockheed Martin Ventures. Executives James Donald Taiclet, Frank Andrew St John, and Jesus Malave are barred from traveling to China.

Meanwhile, China has been building its domestic aircraft industry, developing parts and planes for Airbus, and constructing its commercial jets. Although initially dependent on foreign technology, Chinese firms are increasingly replacing overseas suppliers with homegrown capabilities.

Taiwan, which separated from mainland China in 1949 and was once a Japanese colony, heavily relies on the US for arms while also striving to bolster its defense industry. This is highlighted by its effort to extend mandatory military service from four months to one year as a measure against growing Chinese threats to annex the island.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)