China to adopt countermeasures against US military companies, senior executives for arms sales to Taiwan

China has decided to adopt countermeasures against three U.S. military companies and 10 senior executives for arms sales to China's Taiwan region, according to a decision published on the Chinese Foreign Ministry's official website on Thursday.

The decision said that the United States recently has once again announced arms sales plans to the Taiwan region, which has seriously violated the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, interfered in China's internal affairs and undermined China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Pursuant to Articles 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 15 of China's Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, China has decided to take countermeasures against the following enterprises and executives:

For the three enterprises concerned, namely the Edge Autonomy Operations LLC, Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. and Skydio Inc., their movable, immovable and all other types of property in China will be frozen.

Organizations and individuals in China will be prohibited from engaging in transactions, cooperation or other activities with any of the three enterprises.

For the 10 senior executives, i.e., Steven Roger Rudder, Founder, Stick Rudder Enterprises LLC; James William Ickes II, Vice President, Sierra Nevada Corporation; David Keith Sutton, Asia Director, Lockheed Martin; Yeong-Tae Pak, Vice President, AeroVironment; Patrick Edward Jankowski, Indo-Pacific Project Director, Northrop Grumman; John Purvis, Former CEO, Edge Autonomy Operations LLC; Josh Brungardt, Chief Operating Officer, Edge Autonomy Operations LLC; Christopher Douglas Kastner, President and CEO, Huntington Ingalls Industries; Adam Bry, Co-Founder and CEO, Skydio Inc.; and Tom Moss, General Manager, Skydio Inc.:

Their movable and immovable properties, and other kinds of assets within China will be frozen.

All organizations and individuals within China will be prohibited from engaging in transaction, cooperation and other activities with any of them.

They will also be denied visas or entry into China (including Hong Kong and Macao).

This decision will come into force from Oct 10, 2024.

The three China-U.S. Joint Communiqués, namely the 1972 communiqué (the Shanghai communiqué), the 1979 communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations, and the 1982 communiqué, provide a crucial basis for the development of China-U.S. relations.

In particular, the August 17, 1982 communiqué focuses on a step-by-step approach with the ultimate aim of resolving the issue of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. The United States declared that its arms sales to Taiwan would not exceed, either in qualitative or in quantitative terms, the level of those supplied in the years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and China, and that it intended to reduce gradually its sales of arms to Taiwan, leading over a period of time to a final resolution.

In all three communiqués the United States emphasize its acceptance of the one-China principle, which provides political basis for healthy development of China-U.S. relations.

China to adopt countermeasures against US military companies, senior executives for arms sales to Taiwan

A growing number of foreign visitors to China are praising what they call a “Chinese-style sense of safety” – a feeling of security that has become a recurring theme in travel vlogs and social media posts, resonating with audiences across cultural boundaries.

According to many international travelers, this sense of safety stems from China’s well-ordered society, convenient public services, and the tangible reality of how development and security reinforce each other.

Brazilian vlogger Marina Guaragna said China offers everything an ideal destination should have – convenient transportation, hospitable people, and charming scenery.

"I think it is maybe one of the easiest countries to travel I've ever been to. The system integration is amazing. You can do everything in applications. Traveling China is really easy, because the fast trains or nice trains are so fast and so easy. You can just get it, and you manage to go for a long distance in a short time. Distance that in other countries you'd take eight hours, here you can do it in two hours,” she said.

Often traveling with expensive camera equipment, Guaragna stressed that she never had to fear theft during her travels in the country.

"I walk around with my cell phone, with my equipment, my camera, everything, and nothing happened here. Even as a woman, I really feel really, really safe. And I feel safe about the country, about the people," she said.

Canadian vlogger Alina Mcleod echoed the sentiment, noting that China surpassed her expectations in multiple ways.

"It is such a big country, and I was especially impressed with how much effort goes into creating a lot of the tourist attractions. I think it was very well-managed and easy to understand how things work," said Mcleod.

"And then the other thing that I really liked was also being able to order your food from your seat. I didn't know that when I first started traveling on the (high-speed) train. I think it's such a cool idea that you can just scan a QR code and order whatever kind of food you want. They bring it directly to you," she said.

She added that for anyone who considers safety a key factor, China is absolutely a top travel destination.

"For anybody who has that as a concern, I think China is actually a great choice of destination because I really felt at ease basically everywhere I went. Personally, this is definitely a destination that I would like to see more of, and would definitely go back because there really is so much to see," said Mcleod.

Ukrainian vlogger Alex Tchaikovsky described China as a vast country where everyone can find something to their taste, praising the country’s large-scale tourism projects, well-managed public areas, and unique offerings in even small cities.

"Without any doubt, safety is the first priority here, so all the public areas are well managed. I even saw delivery guys leaving keys and their (e-)bikes when they were in a rush," he said.

Foreign vloggers praise 'Chinese-style sense of safety' that makes travel worry-free