The entrance to the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing, China. File photo: Xinhua

China's Foreign Ministry on Thursday issued a decision regarding the launch of countermeasures against corresponding US companies for their involvement in selling weapons to China's Taiwan region, with immediate effect, according to a statement from the ministry on Thursday.

The continued US arms sales to China's Taiwan region seriously violate the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiqués, interfere in China's internal affairs, and undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the ministry said in the statement.

Pursuant to Articles 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 15 of the Law of China on Countering Foreign Sanctions, China "hereby decides to take the following countermeasures" against US companies that participate in arms sales to China's Taiwan region, including General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems, as listed in the attached List of Targets of Countermeasures, the ministry said.

The measures include freezing all movable and immovable properties, and other kinds of assets of the corresponding companies within China, as well as denying visas or entry into China for the senior management executives from the two US companies. 

Global Times