KAOHSIUNG, TAIWAN - JANUARY 11: Taiwan's armed forces hold two days of routine drills to show combat readiness ahead of Lunar New Year holidays at a military base on January 11, 2023 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The self-ruled island of Taiwan continues to hold defensive drills, as tensions remain high in the Taiwan straits. (Photo by Annabelle Chih/Getty Images)
Taiwan's armed forces hold two days of routine drills to show combat readiness at a military base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on January 11, 2023.
Annabelle Chih/Getty Images/File

Beijing — China will sanction five US military manufacturers in response to the latest round of American arms sales to Taiwan, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Sunday.

US arms sales to Taiwan are a frequent source of tension between Washington and Beijing. China views democratically governed Taiwan as its territory, a claim Taiwan’s government rejects.

The sanctions come ahead of Taiwan’s January 13 presidential and parliamentary elections, which China has cast as a choice between war and peace.

The US State Department last month approved a $300 million sale of equipment to help maintain Taiwan’s tactical information systems.

The spokesperson said in a statement the recent arms sales “seriously undermine China’s sovereignty and security interests, seriously jeopardize peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”

The companies to be sanctioned are BAE Systems Land and Armaments, Alliant Techsystems Operations, AeroVironment, Viasat and Data Link Solutions.

China will freeze the assets of these companies and ban people or organizations in China from engaging them, the spokesperson said.

The US embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.