China strongly opposes EU arbitrary listing of Chinese firms in sanctions against Russia: spokesperson

China on Saturday voiced strong dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to the European Union's recent move to include Chinese firms on its list of sanctions against Russia.

Despite China's repeated demarches and oppositions, the EU has included Chinese companies in its 20th package of sanctions against Russia, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce.

In a statement released on the ministry's official website, the spokesperson said that China has repeatedly reaffirmed its firm opposition to unilateral sanctions without authorization from the United Nations Security Council and to the so-called long-arm jurisdiction imposed by the EU on Chinese firms and individuals.

The move goes against the spirit of the common understanding reached by the leaders of China and the EU, seriously undermining mutual trust between China and the EU and the overall bilateral relations, the spokesperson noted.

China urges the EU to immediately remove the Chinese enterprises and individuals from its sanctions list, abide by the spirit of the consensus reached by the leaders of both sides and find solutions to their respective concerns through dialogue and consultation, the spokesperson added.

China will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and all consequences will be borne by the EU, stated the spokesperson.

China strongly opposes EU arbitrary listing of Chinese firms in sanctions against Russia: spokesperson

China and Greece launched their first joint archaeological project at the Chinese School of Classical Studies at Athens on Friday.

Located in western Greece, the Aggelokastro project marks the first time that Chinese archaeologists have participated in leading roles of an excavation project in a core region of Western civilization.

The project is an important part of systematic cooperation between the Greek Ministry of Culture and the Chinese School of Classical Studies at Athens, and has been approved as part of a five-year joint archaeological program.

Aetolia-Acarnania, where Aggelokastro is located, has been an important area for Greek archaeological studies since the 19th century.

"Within the Aetolia-Acarnania area during the Hellenistic period (323 BC-31 BC), that's around China's late Warring States Period to early Han Dynasty, an Aetolian League was formed, and there were extensive cultural exchanges across the Eurasian continent. Now we can say that the ruins were a significant small city-state at that time. It is also hoped that we could discover some clues of ancient long-distance trade," said Li Xinwei, head of the Chinese School of Classical Studies at Athens, which was founded in November 2024 as the first research institute on classical civilizations established in Greece by an Asian country.

China, Greece launch first joint archaeological project, seeking clues of ancient trade