BEIJING, Oct 23 — China said today it “opposes” recent sanctions imposed by the United States on Russia’s two largest oil companies over Moscow’s war in Ukraine, calling them “without basis in international law”.
President Donald Trump announced the measures yesterday after plans for a fresh summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin collapsed, complaining that talks with his counterpart “don’t go anywhere”.
China — a major Russian trading partner — has maintained that it takes a neutral stance on the war and has refrained from condemning Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Asked about the new US sanctions at a daily press conference in Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said: “China consistently opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and are not authorised by the United Nations Security Council.”
Responding to Trump’s comment that Chinese President Xi Jinping could have a “big influence” on Putin in efforts to end the war, Guo said: “Dialogue and negotiations are the only feasible way out of the Ukraine crisis.”
At the same press conference, Guo also criticised sanctions on Russia agreed yesterday by the European Union, which targeted Chinese companies, saying Beijing was “strongly dissatisfied”.
“China is neither the creator of the Ukraine crisis nor a party to it,” he said.
“The European side is in no position to make irresponsible remarks about the normal exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Russian enterprises.”
Guo urged Brussels to “stop making an issue out of China”, vowing that Beijing “will take all necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests”. — AFP
