BEIJING - China has banned the senior executives of two US defence companies from entering the country and frozen their property in response to their arms sales to Taiwan, the Foreign Ministry said on April 11.

The measures effective from April 11 were against General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, which manufactures unmanned aerial systems, and military vehicle maker General Dynamics Land Systems, a unit of General Dynamics.

China said the arms sales “seriously interferes” in its internal affairs and “damages” China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“The continued sale of arms by the United States to China’s Taiwan region is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three joint communiques of the United States and China,” it said.

China said it has frozen the firms’ properties in China and banned their senior executives from entering the country.

Both companies did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

In 2023, China imposed sanctions against US aerospace and defence firms Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, also for providing weapons to Taiwan.

Taiwan said its annual war games in 2024 will practise “kill” zones at sea to break a blockade and simulate repelling a Chinese drill around the island that turns into an actual attack.

China, which regards the self-governing Taiwan as its territory to be reunified, has in recent years regularly carried out military drills around the island as it seeks to assert its sovereignty claims and pressure Taipei. Taiwan rejects China’s sovereignty claims.

The United States is holding a series of security discussions with several countries this week.

The US, Britain and Australia, under the Aukus security pact, talked about cooperation with Japan, while the US separately said it will change military command posture in Japan to allow better coordination and boost deterrence in the face of Chinese pressure.

The US will also hold a trilateral summit with Japan and the Philippines on April 11 that will discuss Beijing’s growing pressure in the South China Sea. REUTERS