Three American defense contractors are being targeted by Beijing in response to the US sale of military hardware to Taiwan. It is the latest in a series of escalations between the United States and China.
Summary
After the announcement by the US State Department of a nearly $2 billion sale of military hardware to the island nation of Taiwan, the Chinese Communist government announced sanctions on a trio of American defense contractors.
- According to CNBC, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Raytheon will be affected by the Chinese sanctions.
- Taiwan is considered by mainland China to be a “rogue province.” In line with that belief, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the arms sale was a meddling in Chinese internal matters.
- The sanctions are the latest in an escalation between the United States and China. Axios details the list of issuesconfronting US-Sino relations this year: coronavirus, human rights abuses, trade policy, and the Trump Administration’s closer embrace of Taiwan than previous presidencies.
- The Taiwanese government embraced the sale of defense hardware, saying it needed to counter China’s military expansion and provocations.”
- Lockheed Martin and Raytheon argued the sale was a “government to government” transaction, while Boeing said it will continue its commitment to the Chinese commercial aviation industry.
- The Washington Post’s former Beijing Bureau Chief wrote that experts are urging the United States to take more assertive and substantial steps to support Taiwan and deepen economic ties.
- MSNBC’s recent coverage on the United States’ relationship with China is framed in the context of the presidential election, detailing what China sees as an opportunity to take advantage of what MSNBC calls “disarray” in the United States.
- In its reporting on the sanctions, the Wall Street Journal noted the Chinese Foreign Ministry failed to provide any real specifics on the sanctions and reported they will have “limited impact” on the companies listed.
- The Washington Times called the military sale to Taiwan “particularly provocative”, and noted it is “latest step in a sharp escalation of tensions.”
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© Dallas Gerber, 2020
