China adds 10 U.S. companies to unreliable entities list

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) announced on Thursday that 10 U.S. companies have been added to the unreliable entities list for selling arms to the Taiwan region.

The companies include Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and Lockheed Martin Missile System Integration Lab, according to the MOC announcement.

These companies will be prohibited from engaging in China-related import or export activities and barred from making new investments in China, the MOC added.

Senior executives of the companies will be banned from entering China, their work permits and visitor or residency status revoked, and any related applications they submit will not be approved, according to the announcement.

The MOC stated that these companies have engaged in arms sales to the Taiwan region and conducted so-called cooperation on military technologies in recent years, despite China's strong opposition.

Their actions severely undermined China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, severely violated the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and severely undermined peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, the ministry said, adding that the companies will be legally held accountable.

Noting that China's unreliable entity provisions only target a few foreign entities that undermine China's national security, the ministry said the Chinese government will always welcome foreign companies to invest and expand their businesses in China, and is committed to providing a stable, fair and predictable business environment for law-abiding companies operating in China.  

(Cover: Office building of China's Ministry of Commerce, Beijing, China. /CFP)