China reacts to British sanctions and accuses London of politicizing trade with Russia

China criticized this Monday (27) the United Kingdom’s decision to include 11 Chinese companies in a new round of sanctions under the pretext of “links with Russia”. The measures, announced on October 15, were classified by Beijing as “unilateral” and “without basis in international law”.

In a statement, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) stated that “normal exchanges between Chinese and Russian companies should not be interrupted or affected” and accused the British government of “politicizing international trade”.

Beijing demanded the immediate lifting of the sanctions and warned that it will take “necessary measures to firmly protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.”

According to the ministry, London “ignores China’s formal statements and compromises the environment of economic cooperation between the two countries”. For Beijing, the decision represents “an unjustified attack” and confirms the United Kingdom’s alignment with the United States’ containment policy.

“These actions violate the basic norms of international relations and harm the recovery of the world economy,” says the statement.

One of the affected companies is Shandong Yulong Petrochemical, a refinery opened this year in Shandong province. Following British and European sanctions, Yulong increased its imports of Russian oil to compensate for the cancellation of contracts with suppliers in the Middle East and Canada, according to Reuters.

With capacity to process 400,000 barrels per day, the refinery maintains operations above 90% and is expected to receive 15 shipments of Russian oil in November — a record volume.

The Chinese embassy in London lodged a formal protest and accused the British government of “unduly expanding the concept of national security” and “compromising the investment climate”.

Articles published by the Xinhua agency and the Global Times newspaper state that the sanctions “reflect an irrational anti-Chinese stance” and warn that “blindly following Washington will not bring benefits to London”.

For Beijing, the new round of punishments is yet another example of the political use of Western sanctions.

The Chinese government maintains that its cooperation with Russia is “normal, legitimate and transparent”, and promises to react to any attempt to restrict its foreign trade under geopolitical justifications.