The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs follows Trump's words: we will continue to conduct legal trade with Russia

China conducts normal and legal economic, trade and energy cooperation with countries around the world, including Russia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing said on Thursday, referring to US President Donald Trump's appeals for the PRC to stop buying Russian crude oil.

– The US approach is a typical example of unilateral intimidation and economic coercion, which seriously undermines international trade rules and threatens the stability of global supply chains – said ministry spokesman Lin Jian at a press briefing. He stressed that China “firmly opposes the U.S.'s abuse of illegal unilateral sanctions and the use of extraterritorial jurisdiction.”

The spokesman also said Beijing's position on the “Ukrainian crisis” – as China calls Russia's invasion of Ukraine – remains “objective and fair.” “If China's legitimate rights and interests are violated, we will certainly take strong retaliatory measures to defend our sovereignty, development and security,” he said.

Beijing's reaction is a response to Trump's statement, which on Wednesday stated that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him of stopping oil imports from Russia. “Now I have to get China to do the same,” Trump said.

India and China are the two largest buyers of Russian crude oil exported by sea, which is subject to U.S. and European Union sanctions. For months, Modi resisted US pressure on this issue.

On Thursday, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that talks on energy cooperation with Washington were ongoing, but emphasized that Delhi's priority was to protect domestic consumers.

From Beijing Krzysztof Pawliszak (PAP)

krp/ akl/