China to take necessary measures to safeguard legitimate rights, interests of its firms: spokesperson

China will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce made the statement on Monday in Beijing.

The statement was given in response to the European Union's newly-released 18th package of sanctions against Russia on July 18, a list that included some Chinese companies and financial institutions.

The EU has gone ahead with listing Chinese companies in the package and also sanctioned two Chinese financial institutions on "groundless" charges despite China's repeated demarches and oppositions, the spokesperson noted, stressing that China strongly deplores and firmly opposes it.

The spokesperson said China has always opposed unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and lack authorization from the UN Security Council, underlining that the EU's actions run counter to the common understanding reached by the leaders of China and the bloc, and cause serious, negative impact on China-EU economic and trade relations.

China urges the EU to immediately stop the wrong doing of including Chinese companies and financial institutions into its sanction list, the spokesperson added.

China will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and financial institutions, stated the spokesperson.

China to take necessary measures to safeguard legitimate rights, interests of its firms: spokesperson

China to take necessary measures to safeguard legitimate rights, interests of its firms: spokesperson

China to take necessary measures to safeguard legitimate rights, interests of its firms: spokesperson

China to take necessary measures to safeguard legitimate rights, interests of its firms: spokesperson

China to take necessary measures to safeguard legitimate rights, interests of its firms: spokesperson

China to take necessary measures to safeguard legitimate rights, interests of its firms: spokesperson

Protests against federal immigration enforcement are spreading across the United States, with the latest demonstration unfolding directly in front of the White House.

Early Saturday, more than a hundred demonstrators gathered there, demanding changes to the Trump administration's immigration policies and accountability for recent shootings involving federal agents.

Immigrant rights and civil rights groups said this weekend's rallies mark a coordinated national response. Demonstrations are planned or already underway in major cities including Philadelphia, as well as across states such as North Carolina, Florida, Texas, and Washington, D.C., where organizers are calling for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be removed from local communities.

The nationwide protests follow a deadly week in which three people were shot by federal agents in two days.

In Minneapolis, Minnesota, a 37-year-old woman, Renee Good, was killed during an enforcement operation by the ICE. A day later in Portland, Oregon, a man and a woman were wounded during a separate federal operation.

In the aftermath, Minnesota state officials accused the Trump administration of blocking their investigation by denying access to key evidence and prematurely drawing conclusions before a full review could be completed.

On Friday, Donald Trump defended the Department of Homeland Security's actions, sharply criticizing Minnesota leaders and calling them corrupt.

Local leaders have pushed back. During a Saturday news conference, the mayor of Minneapolis described ICE agents' actions as reckless.

Officials in both Minneapolis and Portland continue urging demonstrators to remain peaceful as protests intensify nationwide.

According to a 50501 Movement statement issued Friday, at least 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025.

Nationwide protests erupt in US after ICE shootings