4 Taiwanese People Detained in China

Beijing is laying out another round of sanctions, this time targeting U.S. defense manufacturers along with some company executives. That's in response to the U.S. sale of weapons to Taiwan. Three U.S. firms that produce defense equipment and arms, as well as 10 high-profile managers, were hit by this new round of Beijing sanctions. That's by freezing their assets or properties in China, preventing them from doing business with Chinese companies, and banning them from entering the country. Beijing imposed the sanctions on the Taiwanese government's 113th birthday, and they take effect immediately. Last month, Beijing also sanctioned nine U.S. defense firms for the same reason. Taiwan is China's core interest. Of course, the Chinese Communist Party has vowed to take the island by force if necessary. The U.S. is bound by its own laws to help Taiwan defend itself and provide it with weapons. Next, a closer look at the Chinese communist regime's latest clampdown on formerly high-level officials abandoned by the party. Fang Yifei is the country's former deputy central bank governor, but now he's been sentenced to death for bribery with a two-year reprieve. According to court records, he had accepted property worth more than 54 million dollars. Since Chinese leader Xi Jinping took office in 2013, he has often used anti-graft movements to punish and remove forces within the party, driven by questions about their loyalty. Some China experts say Beijing sees the actions as a tool to collect wealth for the Chinese state.