“China firmly opposes this and has forwarded its protest to the EU side,” Guo said at a regular briefing in Beijing.
— As we have repeatedly emphasized, China is neither the perpetrator of the current crisis nor a party to it. “We are committed to promoting peace talks, have never delivered lethal weapons to any party to the conflict, and maintain strict export controls on dual-use items,” the spokesman added, saying China “will take all necessary measures to resolutely defend its legitimate rights and interests.”
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What sanctions does the EU plan to impose on Chinese entities?
What does a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs say about these sanctions?
What actions will China take to defend its interests?
What relations with Russia is China strengthening?
According to EU diplomatic sources, the sanctions cover two refineries, a trading company and an entity involved in circumventing existing restrictions. These are the most economically significant EU measures aimed at Chinese entities. The names of the sanctioned companies have not yet been made public.
Zhao Junjie, a senior researcher at the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was quoted on Thursday by the government daily “Global Times” as saying that the EU's actions reflect “superficial declarations of 'strategic autonomy' in China policy,” while in reality the Community lacks “true independent capabilities and proactive initiative, and blindly “it follows the US.”
According to a Chinese commentator, the repeated adaptation of EU policy to US actions in the context of pressure on China may result from the influence of populist and far-right forces in Europe, leading to “short-sighted and irrational decisions.” Zhao called on Europe to abandon “geopolitical misperceptions and prejudices” against China and “the fear of seeing China as a zero-sum competitor in key technology sectors.”
Beijing, which declares a neutral attitude towards Russian aggression, has been strengthening relations with Moscow for three years, both militarily by organizing joint maneuvers and economically.
