China to sanction firms linked to US warplane sales to Taiwan

China has announced it will sanction the firms linked to United States warplane sales to Taiwan, according to media reports. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang threatened to put sanctions on US companies which sell weapons to Taiwan, saying such sales are a serious interference in China's internal affairs and violation of Chinese sovereignty.

China had already denounced the widely discussed sale, one of the biggest yet by the United States to Taiwan, which Beijing considers a wayward province. This announcement of imposing sanctions has come as a fresh threat.

The US State Department approved a possible USD 8 billion sales of F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Tuesday in official notification to Congress.

The potential deal is for 66 aircraft, 75 General Electric Co engines, as well as other systems, the agency said in a statement, adding it served the interests of the United States and would help Taiwan maintain a credible defense.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said the sale would help Taiwan build a new air force and boost its air defense capacity. In a post on Facebook, Tsai said she was grateful for Washington's "continuous support for Taiwan's national defense".

"With strong self-defense capacity, Taiwan will certainly be more confident to ensure the cross-strait and regional peace and stability while facing security challenges," she said. Taiwan unveiled its largest defense spending increase in more than a decade last week, amid rising military tensions with China.