China justifies addition of 3 U.S. firms to unreliable entities list

BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The recent addition of three U.S. companies to China's unreliable entities list was a normal act of law enforcement, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Thursday.

The decision to place General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems, and Boeing Defense, Space & Security on the list for selling arms to China's Taiwan region was made in accordance with Chinese legislation, MOC spokesperson He Yadong told a briefing.

The repeated sales of offensive weapons that these companies have made to the Taiwan region have seriously undermined China's national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity, flagrantly violated the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and severely disrupted peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, He said.

The MOC announced earlier this week that the three U.S. enterprises would be barred from engaging in China-related import and export activities, and forbidden from making new investments in China, alongside other restrictions.