China to impose sanctions on US arms contractor

China has decided to impose sanctions on the US company Lockheed Martin, the main contractor involved in the latest arms sales plan to Taiwan, as a necessary move to safeguard national interests, a foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Tuesday.

According to a recent statement reportedly issued by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency of the US Department of Defense, the US State Department has approved the plan to provide the recertification package for the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles to Taiwan, worth US$620 million in total.

"China is firmly opposed to US arms sales to Taiwan," spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a daily press briefing.

"We urge the United States to earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the provisions under the three China-US joint communiques, stop arms sales to Taiwan and sever military ties with Taiwan, to avoid further undermining China-US relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," Zhao added.