The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the imposition of sanctions on 5 American military industrial companies that sold new weapons to Taiwan.

According to the “Argaam” website, the ministry said in a statement today, Sunday, that the punitive measures include freezing the assets of these companies in China, and preventing Chinese entities and citizens from dealing with them.

The Ministry explained that the military companies that were subjected to sanctions are “BAE Systems Land & Armament”, “Alliant Engineering Systems Operations”, “Aeroenvironment”, “Viasat”, and “Data Link Solutions”.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed that the sanctions imposed on these companies also come as a result of the “unilateral and illegal sanctions” imposed by the United States on Chinese companies and individuals.

It is noteworthy that the US State Department last month approved possible foreign military sales to Taiwan estimated at approximately $300 million, and since then, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army has strengthened its readiness around the Taiwan Strait.

This is not the first time that China has imposed sanctions on American companies due to arms sales to Taiwan. Early last year, China placed Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Missiles and Defense on the list of unreliable entities, prohibited them from engaging in import or export activities in China, and prevented them from making new investments in the country.