China opposes unilateral sanctions lacking authorization from the United Nations and reserves the right to take necessary measures to protect its development interests, a Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson said Saturday in response to the U.S. passage of a Russia sanctions bill.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed the Russia sanctions bill into law, according to a White House release.
Named the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026," the act authorizes and expands statutory sanctions, tariffs and prohibitions on Russia and extends existing sanctions on Iran, the release said.
The measure would impose sanctions on Russian officials, banks and vessels used to transport Russian energy. It also authorizes the U.S. government to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on goods from the five largest importers of Russian oil or natural gas.
"We have noted the relevant developments. China has always opposed unilateral sanctions that lack authorization from the United Nations and a basis in international law, and opposes so-called secondary sanctions measures taken against other countries on the pretext of involving third parties. China has always carried out normal economic and trade cooperation with all other countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. Such cooperation neither targets any third party nor is subject to disruption or coercion by any third party," said the spokesperson.
"We will continue to closely follow the subsequent actions of the United States and reserve the right to take all necessary measures so as to firmly safeguard China’s national sovereignty and development interests, as well as the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese enterprises. We hope that the United States will work with China towards the same direction, maintain the stability of economic and trade relations through dialogue and consultation, and do more to uphold the global trading order and the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains," said the spokesperson.
China opposes unilateral sanctions lacking authorization from UN: spokesperson
