BEIJING (Reuters) -China has positioned Lockheed Martin Corp (NYSE:) and Raytheon Applied sciences (NYSE:) Corp below sanctions over arms gross sales to Taiwan, the federal government mentioned on Monday, at the very least the third time it has introduced punishments towards the U.S. firms.

The sanctions are countermeasures towards the 2 firms over a $100-million Feb. 7 arms sale that “undermined China’s safety pursuits, significantly undermined China-U.S. relations and peace and stability within the Taiwan Strait”, overseas ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin mentioned at an everyday information briefing.

Beijing views the self-ruled island of Taiwan as a breakaway province that should settle for Chinese language sovereignty and has by no means renounced the usage of pressure to attain that aim.

“In accordance with the related stipulations in China’s anti-foreign sanctions regulation, the Chinese language authorities has determined to take countermeasures on the infringing acts of Raytheon (NYSE:) Applied sciences and Lockheed Martin,” Wang mentioned.

“Each are navy enterprises which have lengthy participated in U.S. arm gross sales to China’s Taiwan area.”

No additional particulars got on the character of the sanctions.

That is the primary time the businesses have confronted sanctions below China’s new anti-foreign sanctions regulation drawn up final 12 months in response to U.S. sanctions towards Chinese language firms.

On at the very least two earlier events China has introduced sanctions towards Lockheed and Raytheon, in 2019 and 2020, although Beijing has not defined what these sanctions entailed or how they had been enforced.

The USA doesn’t promote weapons to China.

Nevertheless, the US is sure by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to offer Taiwan with the means to defend itself, and U.S. weapons gross sales all the time entice China’s anger.

China has over the previous two years stepped up its navy and diplomatic stress towards Taiwan, whose authorities says it needs peace however will defend the island if attacked.

China repeatedly says Taiwan is an important and delicate situation in its ties with Washington, that are additionally strained over commerce and human rights disputes.