BEIJING, May 2, 2024 (AFP) –
Beijing on Thursday said it would take “necessary measures” after the United States announced fresh sanctions aimed at crippling Russia’s military and industrial capabilities, punishing companies in China and elsewhere that help Moscow acquire weapons for its war in Ukraine.
In a sweeping package announced by the US Treasury Department on Wednesday, Washington targeted nearly 300 entities in Russia, China and other countries accused of supporting President Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
“The Chinese side urges the US to stop smearing and containing China and stop wantonly implementing illegal and unilateral sanctions,” a foreign ministry spokesman said in a message to AFP.
“China will take all necessary measures to resolutely uphold the legal rights and interests of Chinese companies,” he added.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said her department had “consistently warned that companies will face significant consequences for providing material support for Russia’s war”, and that its “actions will further disrupt and degrade Russia’s war efforts”.
China has never condemned Russia’s attack on Kyiv, and stands accused of indirectly supporting the war through its strategic partnership with its neighbour Moscow.
Beijing insisted again on Thursday it was “neither a creator nor a party” to the crisis in Ukraine, and said it had the right to develop “normal” trading relations with all countries, including Russia.
“China has always resolutely opposed the United States implementing illegal and unilateral sanctions against Chinese enterprises and exercising ‘long-arm jurisdiction’,” the foreign ministry spokesman said.
– ‘Sand in the gears’ –
The United States’s latest wave of sanctions came a week after President Joe Biden signed a much-delayed bill to provide new funding for Ukraine as Kyiv’s military struggles to hold back Russian advances.
“Even as we’re throwing sand in the gears of Russia’s war machine, President Biden’s recently-passed National Security Supplemental is providing badly-needed military, economic, and humanitarian support to bolster Ukraine’s courageous resistance,” Yellen said.
As part of the measures, the State Department blacklisted additional individuals and companies involved in Moscow’s energy, mining and metals sectors.
The sanctions also put into crosshairs individuals connected to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in a Siberian prison in February.
The almost 300 targets hit included dozens of actors accused of enabling Russia to acquire desperately needed technology and equipment from abroad, the Treasury said.
Some of those were based in countries such as China that have faced increasing pressure from Washington over support for Russia during its 15-month invasion of Ukraine.
“The United States, along with many international partners, is particularly concerned about entities based in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and other third countries that provide critical inputs to Russia’s military-industrial base,” the Treasury statement said.
“This support enables Russia to continue its war against Ukraine and poses a significant threat to international security.”
Other than China, targeted non-Russian entities were located in Azerbaijan, Belgium, Slovakia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
These companies “enable Russia to acquire desperately-needed technology and equipment from abroad”, the statement said.
