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China has imposed sanctions on 14 foreign firms, including defence contractors and intelligence companies, accusing them of undermining national security and supporting Taiwan.
The Ministry of Commerce announced on Thursday that the companies, which include several American defence contractors, British aerospace giant BAE Systems, and Canada-based semiconductor intelligence provider TechInsights, along with their affiliates in Europe, Japan, and South Korea, have been added to China’s “Unreliable Entities List.”
The sanctions prohibit the firms from engaging in import and export activities or making new investments in China.
Chinese organisations and individuals are also banned from collaborating with or sharing sensitive information with the sanctioned entities.
Among the targets is the Halifax International Security Forum, an annual Canadian gathering of government, military, and academic officials.
A ministry spokesperson said in a separate statement that some of the sanctioned entities had conducted “so-called military-technical cooperation with Taiwan,” made “vile remarks about China,” and assisted foreign governments in restricting Chinese companies.
The statement added that these actions had “seriously damaged China’s national sovereignty, security and development interests.”
This move follows similar sanctions in January, when Beijing targeted 10 US defence firms over arms sales to Taiwan.
China considers the self-governing island part of its territory and has repeatedly stated that it does not rule out the use of force to assert control.
