China Slams US After Pentagon Official Reportedly Visits Taiwan: Sanctions Lockheed Martin, Raytheon To Supply Military Equipment

China, on Wednesday, slammed the U.S. after a senior Pentagon official visited Taiwan.

What Happened: Zhu Fenglian, the Deputy Director at China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, criticized Michael Chase, Pentagon's deputy assistant secretary of defense for China, for his reported visit to the self-governed island nation where Beijing claims sovereignty. 

Fenglian said China "resolutely opposes any official interaction and military collaboration" between the U.S. and Taiwan, reported Associated Press.

See Also: Xi Jinping Planning To Meet Putin In April To Broker Peace Talks With Ukraine: WSJ

Beijing also reaffirmed that it had sanctioned Lockheed Martin LMT and a Raytheon Technologies RTX unit for supplying military equipment to Taiwan. The comments of Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office underscore the dramatic deterioration in US-China ties over Taiwan and other trade disputes. 

Zhu told the media that Taiwan's efforts to cement its independence, sidelining China, with foreign assistance are "doomed to failure."

Pentagon’s spokesperson did not directly comment on Chase's visit but said that "our commitment to Taiwan is rock-solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region." 

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had no information about any such visit.

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