Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian called on the United States to halt arms sales to the autonomous island and sever military ties with the government in Taipei.
“We will continue to take necessary measures to protect national sovereignty and security interests,” Zhao said. He reiterated that US arms sales to Taiwan “seriously violate” the one-China principle and harm China’s security interests.
The exact details of the sanctions have not been announced yet, but Zhao said they would apply to “relevant US individuals and entities that have played a negative role in arms sales.”
Boeing said the issue should be resolved by governments.
A Boeing spokesman told CNN Business that “the US government decides which defense systems to provide to Taiwan, and then makes arrangements with the Ministry of Defense to provide such equipment.” “Foreign military sales to any country or entity are a direct contractual obligation between the buyer and the US government / Department of Defense.”
Likewise, Lockheed Martin said that foreign military sales were “intergovernmental transactions” and confirmed that it was working closely with US leadership.
A spokesman for Lockheed Martin said it adheres to the policy of the United States government with regard to doing business with foreign governments. “We deal with more than 70 countries around the world, and all of our international sales are strictly regulated by the United States government.”
Raytheon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
CNN’s Beijing office and Chris Lyakos contributed to this report.
