General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security have been placed on an "unreliable entity list", the agency reported, citing China's commerce ministry.

The companies "will be prohibited from engaging in import and export activities related to China, and from making new investments in China", according to Xinhua.

"Senior executives of the companies are prohibited from entering China, and their work permits will be revoked," the agency added.

The announcement came on the day William Lai was sworn in as Taiwan's president, succeeding Tsai Ing-wen (2016-2024) and formally beginning a term in which he will seek to preserve the island's autonomy from mainland China.

Lai, 64, took office alongside Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim at a ceremony held at the Presidential Office Building in the capital, Taipei.

The island's former vice president spoke briefly in front of a bust of the founder of the Republic of China (Taiwan's official name), Sun Yat-sen, and left the Presidential Office Building with Tsai to greet thousands of people waiting in the square.

Lai later signed the decrees appointing Premier Cho Jung-tai, Secretary-General of the Office of the President Pan Men-an, and Secretary-General of the National Security Council, former Foreign Minister Joseph Wu Jaushieh.

After the remaining ministers and government leaders were sworn in, Lai received greetings from international guests, including from the 12 nations that maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, as well as politicians from the US, Japan and several European states.

The new head of government will again go out to the square in front of the Presidential Office Building to deliver an inaugural address.

A total of six Chinese military aircraft were detected around Taiwan in the past 24 hours, the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense said today, some of which passed less than 80 kilometers from the city of Keelung, in the north of the island, where a military base is located.

Since the January elections, which he won with 40% of the vote, the new President of Taiwan has shown on several occasions an openness to dialogue with China without "political preconditions", reiterating, however, that Taiwan is a sovereign country, whose future should be decided by its inhabitants.

Beijing argues that any official contact with Taipei must be carried out on the basis of the "1992 consensus" and the "One China principle", which defines the Chinese Communist Party as the only legitimate representative of China in the world.

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