China sanctions Boeing, two U.S. defense contractors for Taiwan arms sales

BEIJING (AP) — China’s Ministry of Commerce has announced sanctions against Boeing and two other defense companies for their arms sales to Taiwan. The companies include Boeing’s Defense, Space & Security unit, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, and General Dynamics Land Systems. Monday is the day of Taiwan’s presidential inauguration. The move is the latest in a series of sanctions that China has announced in recent years against defense companies for weapons sales to Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China considers part of its own territory. The likely impact of Beijing’s sanctions on such businesses is unclear since the United States bars most sales of weapons-related technology to China. But some military contractors also have civilian businesses in China.