Beijing says it will sanction Lockheed Martin after US gives green light to Patriot missile deal for Taiwan
- The US aerospace giant is the chief contractor in a US$620m deal to upgrade the island’s defences
- Beijing says move is retaliation for State Department’s approval for deal – the seventh signed off by the Trump White House
Beijing will impose sanctions on Lockheed Martin after the US approved a deal that would allow Taiwan to upgrade its Patriot missile defences.
“The Chinese side has decided to take the necessary measure by imposing sanctions on Lockheed Martin Corporation, which is the chief contractor in the arms deal,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday.
Last week the State Department approved a US$620 million package for the self-ruled island to extend the operational life of its US-supplied Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles.
Identifying Lockheed Martin as the main contractor, the State Department said that the “proposed sale serves US national, economic and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernise its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability.”
Taiwan would “use this capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen homeland defence”, it noted.
In May the US also approved the sale of US$180 million worth of advanced torpedoes and related equipment for Taiwan.