CHINA imposed export controls on eight companies tied to Taiwan’s military today as the breakaway province started annual military exercises.

China’s Commerce Ministry added eight Taiwan-based firms including aerospace and shipbuilding companies, to an export control list, citing national and regional security concerns.

The banned companies include defence supplier Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation, drone-maker Jingwei Aerospace Technology Company, and CSBC Corporation, Taiwan’s largest shipbuilding company.

The new rules, effective immediately, prohibit the export to the listed enterprises of “dual-use items,” a term referring to goods that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.

In a statement the Commerce Ministry said the companies have deliberately co-operated with the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces.

The decision was made to maintain national sovereignty, territorial integrity, as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations, according to the statement.

The spokesperson stressed that no exporter will be allowed to violate these control measures.

The ban comes just as Taiwan begins its annual Han Kuang military drills, which will simulate defences against a hypothetical invasion by China. 

This year’s drills are set to be the largest and longest ever, lasting about 10 days, twice as long as last year’s exercises.