‘Sanctions baton won’t bring peace’, China slams US-led crusade to ban Russian energy
Completely nixing Russia’s exports of oil and gas will trigger economic dilemmas that are bound to severely impact all sides, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian told a briefing on Wednesday.
“China is definitely against unilateral sanctions that are not based on international law. Brandishing a sanctions baton will not bring peace and security. It will only lead to serious issues for the economy and the quality of life in the corresponding countries,” he cautioned.
“In this situation, everyone loses. Sanctions will only intensify division and confrontation,” the diplomat warned.
“China and Russia maintain stable cooperation in the energy sector. And we will continue to pursue normal trade interaction based on the principles of equality, mutual respect and benefits, and this includes the oil and gas sector,” he concluded.
US President Joe Biden signed a decree on Tuesday, banning energy imports from Russia and new investment in the Russian energy sector.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine, stressing that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories. Western countries responded to the actions of the Russian authorities by slapping sanctions against physical and legal entities.
TASS
