The US should get used to China's sanctions on US companies involved in a possible arms sale to the island of Taiwan, and the US has no right to criticize the sanctions as it does this all the time, Chinese experts said on Tuesday.
The experts' remarks came in response to a Tuesday report by Taiwan-based United Daily News, which quoted a US Department of State spokesperson as saying that the US asked the Chinese government not to impose political views on foreign companies.
After the US government approved a plan to sell $2.22 billion worth of arms to Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang announced at a routine press briefing on Friday that to safeguard national interests, China would impose sanctions on US enterprises participating in the sales.
Huo Jianguo, vice chairman of the China Society for World Trade Organization Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday that in the past, China lacked effective ways to stop US arms sales to the island of Taiwan.
But as China's economy and market have developed and matured, many companies will have to think twice before giving up the Chinese market, according to Huo.
"The US won't feel comfortable with this, but it must get used to it," Huo said.
Looking at what the US has done with Chinese companies like Huawei, "isn't it the US government who has been imposing political views on companies?" said Xin Qiang, deputy director of the center for US studies at Fudan University in Shanghai.
The US has lost its morality and right to accuse China on this matter ever since it imposed sanctions on Chinese companies, Xin noted.
When asked for details on the announced sanctions, Geng said on Friday's briefing that the Chinese government and Chinese businesses will not engage in cooperation or commercial exchanges with the US companies involved.
No company names were given, but media identified Raytheon, General Dynamics, BAE and Oshkosh as the arms suppliers.
