China imposed tough sanctions against the US for the first time

China just announced tough sanctions against 12 U.S. defense equipment manufacturers and 10 of their executives in response to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and sanctions against Chinese companies that the U.S. claims are helping Russia in its war in Ukraine.

At the same time, a Foreign Ministry spokesman in Beijing threatened that “pro-independence forces [Тайваня], will end up with crushed skulls after colliding with China's grand scheme for complete unification.” The British publication The Economist calls the Taiwan Strait “the most dangerous place in the world.” Chinese military personnel frequently cross the unofficial but generally recognized border between China and Taiwan.

These companies include Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Iron Mountain Solutions and Applied Technologies Group. The assets of these companies in China will be frozen, and their executives will be banned from entering China, Hong Kong and Macau.

China's Foreign Ministry said the US is ignoring China's “fair and objective attitude” towards the war in Ukraine and is imposing sanctions “without discrimination” against Chinese entities. At the same time, he condemned the sale of arms to Taiwan, accusing the United States of interfering in its internal affairs and undermining China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

However, the move is a clear reaction to US policy and fits into the broader context of geopolitical tensions between the two countries. China views recent US arms sales to Taiwan as a “blatant violation” of the “one China” principle. The sales include a $300 million military package approved last December that includes equipment, training and maintenance of Taiwan's command and control capabilities.

Taiwan, according to China, is a “breakaway province.” Moreover, the sanctions come at a critical time, ahead of Taiwan's presidential and parliamentary elections in January 2024, which Chinese officials have described as a choice between “war and peace.”

As it became known, on May 23 and 24, events will be held around the island state. large-scale military exercises of the PRC forces. One Chinese military commander even called these maneuvers “a powerful disciplinary measure against Taiwanese separatism.”

The two-day Army, Navy, Air Force and Missile Forces exercise that began today is not limited to the Taiwan Strait. China also announced actions to the north, south and east of the island, as well as off islands belonging to Taiwan.

Chinese Navy Colonel Li Si said on state television channel CCTV that Taiwan “will be punished for separatism.” Chinese military expert Zhang Chi, in turn, explained that China is imitating a blockade of Taiwan during the exercises. The army is working on a scenario in which the Chinese military is able to stop energy imports, cut off Taiwanese politicians' escape routes abroad, and prevent support from the United States and other allies.

According to Taiwanese Vice Premier Po Horn Hui, China is using the exercises to show that it controls the entire region. Unlike the major exercises in August 2022, this time China did not designate any exclusion zones for ships and aircraft. Stephen Sklenka of the US Indo-Pacific Command calls the actions of the Chinese army “extremely troubling.”

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