China Sanctions US Defense Firms, Individuals Over Arms Sales to Taiwan

The Taipei 101 building is seen among residential and commercial buildings in Taipei on December 18, 2025. (AFP)
The Taipei 101 building is seen among residential and commercial buildings in Taipei on December 18, 2025. (AFP)
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China Sanctions US Defense Firms, Individuals Over Arms Sales to Taiwan

The Taipei 101 building is seen among residential and commercial buildings in Taipei on December 18, 2025. (AFP)
The Taipei 101 building is seen among residential and commercial buildings in Taipei on December 18, 2025. (AFP)

China's foreign ministry announced sanctions on Friday targeting 10 individuals and ​20 US defense firms, including Boeing's St. Louis branch, over arms sales to Taiwan.

The measures freeze any assets the companies and individuals hold in China and bar domestic organizations and individuals from doing business with them, the ministry said.

Individuals on ‌the list, ‌including the founder ‌of ⁠defense firm ​Anduril Industries ‌and nine senior executives from the sanctioned firms, are also banned from entering China, it added.

Other companies targeted include Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation and L3Harris Maritime Services.

The move follows Washington's announcement last week of $11.1 ⁠billion in arms sales to Taiwan, the largest ‌ever US weapons package for ‍the island, drawing ‍Beijing's ire.

"The Taiwan issue is the ‍core of China's core interests and the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said ​in a statement on Friday.

"Any provocative actions that cross the line on the Taiwan ⁠issue will be met with a strong response from China," the statement said, urging the US to cease "dangerous" efforts to arm the island.

China views democratically-governed Taiwan as part of its own territory, a claim Taipei rejects.

The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, though such arms sales ‌are a persistent source of friction with China.



Russia, North Korea Agree 'Long-term' Military Cooperation

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un pose for a photo during a signing ceremony of a new partnership in Pyongyang, North Korea, June 19, 2024. (Kristina Kormilitsyna, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un pose for a photo during a signing ceremony of a new partnership in Pyongyang, North Korea, June 19, 2024. (Kristina Kormilitsyna, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
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Russia, North Korea Agree 'Long-term' Military Cooperation

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un pose for a photo during a signing ceremony of a new partnership in Pyongyang, North Korea, June 19, 2024. (Kristina Kormilitsyna, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un pose for a photo during a signing ceremony of a new partnership in Pyongyang, North Korea, June 19, 2024. (Kristina Kormilitsyna, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

Russia and North Korea have agreed to "long-term" military cooperation, Russia's defense ministry said Sunday, as Moscow's military chief visited officials in Pyongyang.

Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops -- as well as missiles and munitions -- to support Russia's war in Ukraine.

In return, analysts say North Korea is receiving financial aid, military technology, food and energy from Russia, helping Pyongyang circumvent heavy international sanctions over its banned nuclear programs.

The two countries signed a military treaty in 2024, obligating both states to provide military assistance "without delay" in the event of an attack on the other.

"We agreed with the DPRK Defense Ministry to place our military cooperation on a stable, long-term footing," Moscow's Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said, using the initials of North Korea's official name.

"We are ready to sign a plan this year for Russian-Korean military cooperation for the period of 2027-2031," he added.

Russian officials are in Pyongyang for the opening ceremony of a memorial complex honouring those killed while supporting Moscow's war effort against Ukraine.

Belousov met North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un and Defense Minister No Kwang Chol on Sunday, while Russia's parliamentary speaker Vyacheslav Volodin also met Kim and thanked him for the role of North Korean troops in "the liberation of Kursk".

Pyongyang has deployed troops to Russia's western Kursk region to fend off a months-long counter-offensive by Kyiv's troops.

Belousov presented military awards to North Korean servicemen who took part in the Kursk operation, the Russian defence ministry said.

"Korean soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder with our soldiers and officers, liberating Russian soil from the Ukrainian Nazis," Volodin said.

Seoul estimates about 2,000 North Koreans have been killed in Moscow's war with Ukraine.

North Korean soldiers are said to have been instructed to kill themselves rather than be captured in battle.

Only two North Korean troops have been captured alive and are currently in custody of Ukrainian authorities.


King Charles 'Greatly Relieved' Trumps Unharmed after Washington Shooting

Britain's King Charles looks on as he meets with frontline workers and members from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Services and Police Scotland who assisted in managing the fire at Glasgow Central Station, in March this year, at Dumfries House, Ayrshire. Picture date: Wednesday April 22, 2026.    Jane Barlow/Pool via REUTERS
Britain's King Charles looks on as he meets with frontline workers and members from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Services and Police Scotland who assisted in managing the fire at Glasgow Central Station, in March this year, at Dumfries House, Ayrshire. Picture date: Wednesday April 22, 2026. Jane Barlow/Pool via REUTERS
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King Charles 'Greatly Relieved' Trumps Unharmed after Washington Shooting

Britain's King Charles looks on as he meets with frontline workers and members from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Services and Police Scotland who assisted in managing the fire at Glasgow Central Station, in March this year, at Dumfries House, Ayrshire. Picture date: Wednesday April 22, 2026.    Jane Barlow/Pool via REUTERS
Britain's King Charles looks on as he meets with frontline workers and members from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Services and Police Scotland who assisted in managing the fire at Glasgow Central Station, in March this year, at Dumfries House, Ayrshire. Picture date: Wednesday April 22, 2026. Jane Barlow/Pool via REUTERS

Britain's King Charles III was "greatly relieved" US President Donald Trump, his wife Melania and other guests were unharmed after a shooting at a Washington media gala, Buckingham Palace said Sunday.

The incident late Saturday at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents' Association came less than 48 hours before Charles and Queen Camilla begin a four-day state visit to the United States.

The British monarch was being "kept fully informed of developments", the palace added.

"A number of discussions will be taking place throughout the day to discuss with US colleagues and our respective teams to what degree the events of Saturday evening may or may not impact on the operational planning for the visit."

Earlier, senior UK minister Darren Jones told British broadcasters during a round of interviews that security teams in Britain and the US were "working closely to ensure the security arrangements are put appropriately in place" for the state visit.

It is understood the king and queen reached out privately to the Trumps to express their sympathies with those impacted Saturday night, and to share their gratitude to the security services who prevented further injury.

Trump has said one law enforcement officer was shot at close range but appeared to not be critically injured.

During the four-day state visit -- organized to honor the historic relationship between Britain and the US as America marks 250 years of independence -- Charles and Camilla will visit Washington and New York.

Charles will become the first British monarch to address Congress since his mother, the late queen Elizabeth II, in 1991, while the royal couple will have tea with Trump and Melania and attend a state dinner.

It comes as transatlantic tensions over the Iran war and the Epstein scandal's long shadow threaten to intrude on the landmark visit.

Trump has repeatedly lambasted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his war opposition, as well as his government's immigration and energy policies.

The pair spoke by phone Sunday, when Starmer "extended his best wishes... following the shocking scenes at last night's White House Correspondents Dinner," Downing Street said.

"He expressed his relief that the President and First Lady were safe and wished a speedy recovery to the officer injured," it added.

They also discussed "the urgent need to get shipping moving again in the Strait of Hormuz, given the severe consequences for the global economy and cost of living for people in the UK and globally," Starmer's office noted.


UK's Starmer and Trump Discuss 'Urgent Need' to Restore Shipping in Strait of Hormuz

The MSC Francesca ship is seen during seizure by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, in this image obtained by Reuters on April 24, 2026.
The MSC Francesca ship is seen during seizure by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, in this image obtained by Reuters on April 24, 2026.
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UK's Starmer and Trump Discuss 'Urgent Need' to Restore Shipping in Strait of Hormuz

The MSC Francesca ship is seen during seizure by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, in this image obtained by Reuters on April 24, 2026.
The MSC Francesca ship is seen during seizure by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, in this image obtained by Reuters on April 24, 2026.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump discussed the urgent need to get shipping moving again in the Strait of Hormuz during a call on Sunday, a Downing Street spokesperson said, Reuters reported.

"The leaders discussed the urgent need to get shipping moving again in the Strait of Hormuz, given the severe consequences for the global economy and cost of living for people in the UK and globally," the spokesperson for Starmer's office said in a statement.

"The prime minister shared the latest progress on his joint initiative with President (Emmanuel) Macron to restore freedom of navigation," the spokesperson added.