Beijing, Sep 16 (AP) China announced sanctions on Friday against the CEOs of American defence contractors Raytheon and Boeing Defence over a major US arms sale to rival Taiwan.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning did not specify what the sanctions would be against Gregory Hayes, chairman and CEO of Raytheon Technologies Corp., and Ted Colbert, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security.

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It wasn't immediately clear what impact they would have on the executives or their companies, but such sanctions are often mainly symbolic in nature.

The US announced a $1.09 billion arms sale to Taiwan last week, including $355 million for Boeing's Harpoon missiles and $85 million for Raytheon's Sidewinder missiles.

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“We once again urge the US government and relevant parties to...stop arms sales to Taiwan and military contact with Taiwan, and stop creating new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait," Mao said at a daily briefing.

China claims Taiwan, a self-governing island of 23 million people off its east coast, as its territory and says it must eventually come under its control. Taiwan and China split in 1949 during a civil war that brought the Communist Party to power in Beijing.

The US does not formally recognise Taiwan under its one-China policy but is the island's main supplier of military equipment and is bound by its own laws to ensure Taiwan can defend itself. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)