China reacts to new US sanctions against Russia. They say they "have no basis"

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned new US sanctions against Russian oil giants. This is stated in a statement by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, quoted by the newspaper The Guardian.

He said that Beijing opposes the sanctions imposed by the United States against the two largest Russian oil companies over Russia's war against Ukraine. According to the spokesman, they "have no basis in international law".

"China has consistently opposed unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and are not authorized by the UN Security Council," Guo added .

Answering another question about US President Donald Trump's statement that Chinese leader Xi Jinping could influence Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in efforts to end the war, the spokesman said that "dialogue and negotiations are the only possible way out of the Ukrainian crisis.".

At the same briefing, Guo criticized the sanctions against Russia adopted by the European Union on Wednesday, including those against Chinese companies, saying Beijing was "extremely unhappy".

"China is neither the initiator of the Ukrainian crisis nor a party to it. The European side has no right to make irresponsible statements about normal exchange and cooperation between Chinese and Russian enterprises," he added.

Foreign Ministry spokesman urges Brussels to "stop making a problem out of China," promising that Beijing will "take all necessary measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests.".

• On October 22, Bessent announced a "significant strengthening" of sanctions against Russia. The White House said they would not be directed against China.
• On the same day, the US Treasury Department imposed restrictions against Russia's Lukoil, Rosneft and dozens of subsidiaries.