China protests US sanctions linked to Russia

Beijing protested on Saturday against the sanctions imposed by USA against other Chinese companies for their alleged attempts to evade US controls on exports to Russiaand described them as an illegal measure that endangers global supply chains.

The US Commerce Department listed five companies based in mainland China and Hong Kong on Wednesday in its “entity list”which prohibits them from doing business with American firms without a special license that is almost impossible to obtain.

Washington has toughened its application of sanctions against foreign companies it considers to be helping Russia in its war against Ukraine, forcing them to choose between Moscow and the United States. In total, a total of 28 entities from countries ranging from Malta or Turkey to Singapore were added to the list.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement that the US measure “it is not based on international law and is not authorized by the United Nations Security Council”.

“It is a typical unilateral sanction and a form of ‘far-reaching jurisdiction’ that seriously damages the legitimate rights and interests of companies and affects the security and stability of the global supply chain. China is strongly opposed.” indicated the note.

“The United States must immediately correct its wrongdoing and stop its unreasonable crackdown on Chinese companies. China will firmly protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.” added.

The latest sanctions affect Allparts Trading Co., Ltd.; Avtex Semiconductor Limited; ETC Electronics Ltd.; Maxtronic International Co., Ltd.; and STK Electronics Co., Ltd., registered in Hong Kong.

China says it remains neutral in the conflict even as it backs Russia politically, rhetorically and economically, while Western countries have imposed economic sanctions and tried to isolate Moscow in response to the invasion of their neighboring country.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Moscow last month and Beijing announced Friday that its Defense Minister General Li Shangfu will visit Russia next week to meet with his counterpart Sergei Shoigu and other military commanders.

But his foreign minister, Qin Gang, said on Friday that his country would not sell weapons to any of the parties involved in the war in Ukraine, thus responding to Western concerns that Beijing could provide military aid to the Kremlin.

“Regarding the export of military items, China adopts a prudent and responsible attitude,” indicated the minister during a press conference. “China will not provide weapons to the parties involved in the conflict, and will manage and control exports of dual-use items in accordance with rules and regulations.”

Source: AP