China has expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to new U.S. sanctions targeting Chinese companies linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Ministry of Commerce announced on Sunday.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the ministry urged the United States to “immediately stop its wrong practices” and warned that China would take necessary measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese firms.
The U.S. imposed extensive sanctions on Friday against nearly 400 individuals and companies accused of aiding Russia’s military efforts in Ukraine. The sanctions, which expand existing measures, include several Chinese companies allegedly involved in supplying microelectronics and machine tools to Russia, as detailed in a State Department fact sheet.
According to the U.S. Treasury Department, the sanctions target entities both within and outside Russia that are believed to be providing products and services enabling Russia to sustain its war effort and evade sanctions.
In response, China’s Ministry of Commerce criticized the U.S. actions as “typical unilateral sanctions” that disrupt the international trade order, hinder normal economic and trade exchanges, and threaten the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains.
While the United States has repeatedly cautioned China against supporting Russia’s defense industry, China has maintained that it is a neutral party in the conflict, insisting that it does not provide lethal assistance to either side, unlike the United States and its Western allies. Despite this stance, China remains a close political and economic ally of Russia, and NATO members have labeled Beijing as a “decisive enabler” of the conflict, which China has not condemned.
