China has sanctioned seven military industrial companies and related senior executives over U.S. arms assistance and sales to Taiwan, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday. Boeing subsidiary Insitu Inc.

Taiwan aims to involve a range of people, including taxi drivers and security guards, to respond to emergencies.

China on Friday slapped sanctions on seven US companies after Washington's approval last week of a $571.3 million military aid package to Taiwan, which Beijing said infringed on its "sovereignty and territory".

China's industrial profits fell at a slower clip in November, official data showed on Friday, as policymakers pledged stronger support to prop up a faltering economic recovery.

China’s industrial firms saw their profits drop in November for a fourth straight month, on track for the sharpest annual decline since records began in 2000.

China's industrial profits extended their decline to a fourth straight month, dropping 7.3% in November from a year earlier.

By Liz Lee and Sakura Murakami BEIJING/TOKYO (Reuters) -Talks on seafood trade are expected to be on the agenda on Wednesday as Japan's foreign minister visits China, Japan's largest export market for aquatic products until Beijing placed a blanket ban in protest against Tokyo releasing treated radioactive wastewater into the ocean.

China and Japan agreed that Beijing’s top diplomat should visit in 2025, adding to the signs the two nations are repairing ties that have been strained in recent years.