Lockheed Martin, Raytheon hit as China slaps dual-use export ban on 28 US defence firms

Ministry of Commerce announces move on Thursday, with 10 of the firms also placed on unreliable entities list over Taiwan arms sales

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Move aims to maintain national security and fulfil international obligations including non-proliferation, Beijing’s commerce ministry says. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:14pm, 2 Jan 2025Updated: 12:44am, 3 Jan 2025

Beijing has banned the export of dual-use products to 28 US defence contractors, and placed 10 of them on an unreliable entities list over Washington’s arms sales to Taiwan.

The move aims to maintain national security and “fulfil international obligations including non-proliferation”, Beijing’s Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

General Dynamics, Boeing Defence, Space & Security, Lockheed Martin Corporation and Raytheon Missiles & Defence are among the big names on the bans list.

The defence and aerospace firms were also on the sanctions list declared by Beijing’s foreign ministry late last year in response to continued US arms sales to Taiwan.

“To safeguard national security and interests, and fulfil international obligations including non-proliferation, [the latest action was taken] based on China’s export control law and regulation on export control of dual-use items,” the commerce ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

Ten of the defence contractors were also added to Beijing’s unreliable entities list over weapons sales to Taiwan, according to a separate commerce ministry statement.