China Imposes Sanctions on Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin Subsidiary Over Taiwan Cooperation

China has announced the imposition of sanctions on Northrop Grumman Corporation and the subsidiary of Lockheed Martin for their involvement in supplying weapons to Taiwan. This move serves as the latest example of Beijing's symbolic discontent with the support the United States provides to the island, as reported by Bloomberg.

"According to the PRC Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, China has decided to impose sanctions on these two aforementioned American defense companies," said China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Mao Ning, during a press briefing in Beijing on Friday.

Mao stated that Lockheed Martin "directly participated in the sale of American weapons to Taiwan," while Northrop Grumman "participated several times in the sale of American weapons to Taiwan."

Beijing claims sovereignty over Taiwan, although it has never exercised control over the self-governing island.

This action is likely nothing more than a symbol of China's displeasure with the arms sales, as neither of the companies has any operations that could be sanctioned in China.

Earlier this year, China imposed symbolic fines and sanctions on Lockheed Martin and its subsidiary Raytheon Technologies Corp. Last year, it imposed sanctions on senior leadership of the defense subsidiary of Boeing Co. and Raytheon.

In addition to these deals, the U.S. State Department announced last month an $80 million aid package for Taiwan to purchase American weaponry. According to the Congressional notification, these funds can be used to finance the acquisition and maintenance of armored and infantry vehicles, artillery systems, drones, anti-drone equipment, communication tools, individual soldier equipment, and necessary training.

It's worth noting that the Chinese government previously banned officials from central government agencies from using iPhones and other foreign smartphone brands for work.

These instructions were issued "in recent weeks," and it's unclear how many institutions received them. However, Beijing has long practiced a similar policy, prohibiting certain officials from using iPhones.