China. Sanctions Against Lockheed And Northrop Grumman. “They Sell Weapons To Taiwan”

Tensions continue to grow between the USA and China, which has decided to use the weapon of sanctions widely practiced by the West against the two giants of the American defense industry. This time, Beijing’s blacklist was supplemented with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, accused of selling weapons to Taiwan.

According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning, the US administration has “repeatedly ignored Beijing’s strong objections and insisted on supplying arms to the Taiwan region of China, seriously violating the ‘One China’ principle, international law, and fundamental norms of international relations.” According to Chinese authorities, the USA is “increasingly following the wrong and dangerous path of arming Taiwan.”

In recent days, China has significantly increased its military presence around the island: On September 14, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense reported that it had detected a total of 68 Chinese aircraft and 10 warships around the island over the past 24 hours.

For Russia, which has always recognized the “one China” policy, the plans in the Asia-Pacific region not only of the USA, but also of NATO as a whole pose a “danger to the region.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated this at a press conference after a meeting with his Burmese counterpart Than Shwe in Moscow. “A particular danger is posed by NATO’s obvious plans to penetrate here (into the Asia-Pacific region – ed.) and establish its own rules,” Lavrov said.

Finally, China’s new advent in the sanctions war against the USA comes amid the mystery surrounding the disappearance from the public scene of Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu, who, in US intelligence’s opinion, may be a “subject of investigation” and has been “relieved of his duties.” It would be the second time President Xi Jinping’s government has been shaken up since the ouster of Foreign Minister Qin Gang.