BEIJING, China: U.S. aerospace and defense firms Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin have been sanctioned by China for selling weapons to Taiwan, the Chinese foreign ministry said last week.

According to ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, the sanctions are authorized under China's Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law.

"We urge the U.S. side to effectively abide by the one-China principle... cease U.S.-Taiwan military liaison and stop arming Taiwan, or else it will be subject to a resolute and forceful retaliation by the Chinese side," she said.

China has targeted Lockheed Martin Corp's facilities in Missouri for manufacturing arms for Taiwan, and allege that Northrop Grumman has continually sold weapons to Taiwan.

While China has sanctioned other US companies in the past, it is uncertain what impact the sanctions will have on Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, which sells no armaments to China.

In August, the US approved the funding of $80 million to Taiwan under the Foreign Military Financing program.

This past week, a Chinese naval group passed within 60 nautical miles of Taiwan's southeast.

Taiwan also reported dozens of Chinese fighter aircraft flying within its air defense zone this week.

China enacted a number of laws in 2021 to counter the sanctioning of Chinese companies by foreign countries.