China raises its tone and applies sanctions against US military companies

China announced, on Wednesday (22), sanctions against 12 companies from the United States, in retaliation for what it called “economic coercion” by Washington against Chinese companies. Beijing also criticizes US arms sales to Taiwan.

Sanctions were imposed on several US defense companies and their respective executives. Companies such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and General Dynamics are among the entities sanctioned by the Asian country, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The companies “will be banned from any import-export activities linked to China and any new investment in China,” according to Xinhua news agency.

Beijing countered American justifications in what it called “the indiscriminate imposition of illegal unilateral sanctions by the US on a range of Chinese entities based on so-called Russia-related factors,” the ministry said in a statement.

China said the US “ignored its objective and impartial position on the Ukrainian crisis” and instead “engaged in unilateral intimidation and economic coercion.”

The statement also warns that the US also continued to sell weapons to Taiwan, which “seriously violates” the one-China principle and joint communiqués between the two countries, and “seriously undermines” China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Recently, Washington drastically increased tariffs on imports of Chinese products, including electric cars, batteries and semiconductors.

The White House said the action was “carefully targeted at strategic sectors,” which also include aluminum and steel, minerals, solar cells, port cranes and medical products. The tariffs would apply to $18 billion worth of Chinese goods, he said.

The US will quadruple the tariff on Chinese electric vehicles to 100% this year and will practically triple the tariff on steel and aluminum imports. Tariffs on Chinese semiconductors will be doubled from 2025. The tariff on solar cells will also be doubled this year to 50%.