China has announced sanctions against 20 American defense companies and 10 executives in response to recent US arms sales to Taiwan, opting for a predominantly symbolic form of measures and avoiding large-scale escalation.

Among the companies targeted by the restrictions are Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., L3Harris Maritime Services, Boeing's St. Louis division, and Vantor, formerly known as Maxar Intelligence.

The sanctions include the freezing of any assets held by these companies in China and a ban on conducting business with Chinese organizations.

Restrictions have also been imposed against executives from the defense companies, including Palmer Luckey, founder of Anduril Industries Inc., and Vantor's CEO Dan Smoot. Their assets in China are subject to freezing, and the individuals themselves are prohibited from making deals and entering mainland China, as well as Hong Kong and Macau.

These measures were a response to what Beijing characterized as a "large-scale" sale of American weapons to Taiwan. Last week, Washington approved an arms package worth up to $11 billion, which includes missiles, drones, and artillery systems.

In an accompanying statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry warned that any actions crossing red lines in the Taiwan issue would be met with a decisive response, and that companies and individuals involved in the sale of arms to Taiwan would bear responsibility.

However, the actual impact of the announced sanctions is expected to be limited. Most of the companies and executives targeted by the restrictions have minimal operations in China, and some had previously been included on a reliable organizations list.