China criticises UK sanctions against Russia
Beijing (ANTARA) - The Chinese government has expressed its criticism of the UK’s implementation of a new package of sanctions against Russia in connection with the Ukraine crisis.
“China opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law or authorisation from the UN Security Council. We deeply regret the related actions by the UK,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.
On Tuesday (February 24), the UK announced nearly 300 new sanctions with its “largest” package of sanctions, targeting key Russian revenue streams, including the energy sector and military suppliers.
The UK Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the sanctions, announced on the fourth anniversary of the Ukraine war, represent the largest package of sanctions against Russia in this period.
“Regarding the Ukraine crisis, China has consistently promoted peace talks and strictly controlled the export of dual-use goods. Normal exchanges and cooperation between China and Russia should not be disrupted or affected,” added Mao Ning.
China, said Mao Ning, will do what is necessary to defend its legitimate and lawful rights and interests.
The UK’s package of sanctions targets one of the world’s largest oil companies, PJSC Transneft, which is responsible for transporting more than 80 percent of Russian oil exports.
The new measures also target Russia’s secret oil trading network, by sanctioning 175 companies associated with the “2Rivers” oil group, one of the world’s largest shadow fleets and a major trader of Russian crude oil.
The sanctions then target 49 entities and individuals, including international suppliers of drones, components and Russian technology, as well as perpetrators in the Russian liquefied natural gas sector.
In addition, nine banks handling Russian cross-border payments are also included in the package of sanctions.
“The UK today has taken decisive action to disrupt critical funding, military equipment and revenue streams that support Russian aggression, in a series of measures that are the largest since the early months of the invasion,” said UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
“Today I am in Kyiv announcing £30 million (Rp681.6 billion) in funding to strengthen Ukraine’s energy resilience and support recovery, bringing the UK’s total support to £21.8 billion (Rp495.3 trillion) since the start of the war,” she said.
She said that the UK will continue to support the people of Ukraine and defend European security, because “Ukraine’s security is our security.”