The Chinese government has sharply criticized the United States’ latest sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, calling the move “unilateral,” “unjustified,” and “without basis in international law.”
The new sanctions, announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, target key players in Russia’s energy sector as Washington ramps up pressure on Moscow over its ongoing war in Ukraine.
At a press conference in Beijing on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun condemned the U.S. measures, reaffirming China’s position against unilateral economic restrictions not sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council.
Guo said China consistently opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and are not authorised by the United Nations Security Council.
China, which has maintained a neutral stance on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine since 2022, remains one of Moscow’s key economic and political partners.
Responding to Trump’s remarks that Chinese President Xi Jinping could have “a big influence” on Putin in ending the war, Guo emphasized that dialogue and diplomacy were the only viable paths forward.
Guo also used the briefing to criticize a separate round of sanctions imposed by the European Union on Wednesday, which included several Chinese companies accused of aiding Russia’s military and industrial capabilities.
He said China is neither the creator of the Ukraine crisis nor a party to it, adding that the European side is in no position to make irresponsible remarks about normal exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Russian enterprises.
He warned that Beijing would take all necessary measures to defend the interests of its firms and denounced the EU’s decision as political interference.
The exchange highlights the widening geopolitical rift between China, the U.S., and the EU over their respective approaches to the Ukraine conflict. While Western nations have continued to isolate Moscow economically, Beijing has deepened trade and energy ties with Russia.
