China Sanctions 5 US Arms Manufacturers Over Taiwan Weapons Sales

China issued sanctions against five US arms manufacturers over weapons sales to Taiwan, citing "harm to China's sovereignty and security interests," Al Jazeera reported on Sunday.

China's Foreign Ministry sanctioned the companies BAE Systems Land and Armament, Alliant Techsystems Operation, AeroVironment, ViaSat and Data Link Solutions.

"The countermeasures consist of freezing the properties of those companies in China, including their movable and immovable property, and prohibiting organisations and individuals in China from transactions and cooperation with them," the ministry said in a statement.

"The US arms sales to China's Taiwan region seriously harm China's sovereignty and security interests," it added.

The sanctions come ahead pf Taiwan's 13 January presidential and parliamentary elections which china has claimed are a choice between war and peace.

Al Jazeera reported that Beijing claims the self-ruled island as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve its goals, while the United States is required by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.

Last month, the US State Department approved a USD 300 million arms package to strengthen Taipei's joint battle command and control system, prompting Beijing to say it would take unspecified "countermeasures" against the companies involved.

Beijing has increased pressure on Taiwan since Tsai Ing-wen was first elected president in 2016, claiming she wants independence. Tsai has said it is up to the people of Taiwan to decide their future.

Her vice president, William Lai, is running for the top job against Hou Yu-ih of the more China-friendly KMT.

On January 1, Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated that China would "surely be reunified" with the self-ruled territory of Taiwan in his New Year's address, renewing Beijing's threat to militarily take over the island but setting no timetable for gaining control, the Voice of America (VOA) reported.

"China will surely be reunified, and all Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose," Xi said in his annual address, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Xi's remarks came just ahead of Taiwan's 13 January presidential and parliamentary elections, which China has described as a choice between "war and peace."

William Lai, who currently serves as vice president of the ruling Democratic People's Party, is the presidential front-runner, but China considers him a "separatist" and has accused him and Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen of trying to provoke a Chinese attack on the island. (ANI)