China says it reserves the right to take ‘all necessary measures’ after Trump signs Russia sanctions law. Beijing is Russia’s biggest oil buyer.
China opposes unilateral sanctions and hopes the United States will “meet Beijing halfway,” China’s Commerce Ministry said in response to Donald Trump’s decision to sign a law imposing new sanctions on Russia — the so-called “sanctions from hell” — which provides for 100% tariffs on goods from countries that buy Russian oil.
The ministry said in a statement that China also opposes secondary sanctions against countries that do business with third parties.
“China has always engaged in normal trade and economic cooperation with other countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. That cooperation is not aimed at any third party, nor should it be subject to interference or pressure from any third party. We will continue to watch closely what the U.S. does next, and we reserve the right to take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard China’s national sovereignty and development interests, as well as the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies,” the ministry said.
Trump signed the new Russia sanctions law overnight on September 19, Moscow time. It gives the president the authority to impose 100% tariffs on U.S. imports from five countries — the largest buyers of Russian energy. It also provides for sanctions against Russian defense, energy, and financial entities, Russia’s shadow fleet, and the country’s leadership. The largest importers of Russian oil are China and India.
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