Beijing imposed sanctions on Friday on the two American companies Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman for their involvement in arms sales to Taiwan. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning stated, "Lockheed Martin directly participated as the principal contractor in American arms sales to Taiwan on August 24th, and Northrop Grumman has been involved in multiple American arms sales to Taiwan." Ning noted during a press conference that China had decided to "impose sanctions on the two American military companies." Although the United States officially recognizes only Beijing since five decades ago, the Congress, under the Taiwan Relations Act, requires providing the island with weapons for self-defense. Successive US administrations have upheld this through arms sales to Taiwan, rather than providing direct military aid. However, at the end of August, the administration of US President Joe Biden approved, for the first time, direct military assistance to Taiwan under a dedicated program for foreign governments. The US State Department emphasized that this initial aid package, within the framework of the Foreign Military Financing program, does not imply any recognition of Taiwan's sovereignty, which China regards as an integral part of its territory, despite enjoying self-governance. AFP