China calls US sanctions over war in Ukraine “illegal and unilateral”

China called US sanctions against its entities over the war in Ukraine "illegal and unilateral" and "not based on facts" in comments on Tuesday before White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan arrived in Beijing for days of high-level talks, UNN reports citing Reuters.

Context

Last week, the US imposed sanctions on more than 400 entities and individuals for supporting Russia's military efforts in Ukraine, including Chinese companies that US officials say are helping Moscow circumvent Western sanctions and build up its military.

The sanctions imposed last week include measures against Chinese companies that supply machine tools and microelectronics to Russia.

Washington has repeatedly warned Beijing about its support for the Russian defense industry and has already imposed hundreds of sanctions aimed at limiting Moscow's ability to use certain technologies for military purposes.

What Beijing says

China's Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui, who has conducted four rounds of shuttle diplomacy, spoke out against sanctions at a briefing for diplomats in Beijing after the latest round of meetings with officials from Brazil, Indonesia, and South Africa.

One country is using the crisis... to shift the blame, trying to fabricate the so-called theory of China's responsibility, and threatening countries that have normal economic and trade ties with Russia with illegal and unilateral sanctions

Li did not name the United States, but China's Ministry of Commerce said on Sunday that it strongly opposes sanctions, and the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed similar opposition to previous packages of restrictions, the newspaper said.

"These words and deeds are completely in line with their selfish interests and are not based on facts, and will never be accepted by the international community," Li added.

According to the publication, China is seeking to present itself as a party that is actively seeking a solution to the conflict, despite having missed the Swiss peace conference in June.

After the latest rounds of talks led by Li, Beijing put forward proposals to support the exchange of prisoners of war, counter the use of nuclear and biological weapons, and counter armed attacks on civilian nuclear facilities.

In a 12-point document more than a year ago, China laid out general principles for ending the war, but did not go into details.

China and Brazil jointly called this year for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. On Tuesday, Li expressed hope that more countries would support China's peace efforts.