China Criticizes US Sanctions Against Chinese Firms for Supplying Russia

China’s Ministry of Commerce criticized the U.S. government's recent sanctions against Chinese companies this week for illegally supplying Russia's military and defense industrial base (see 2312050046), saying the move is a "typical example of unilateral sanctions," which undermine international trade rules and affects the security of supply chains. China is "strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to this,” the ministry said, according to an unofficial translation. The news release called for an immediate cessation of the sanctions, adding that China will "safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises."

The Treasury Department this week added Hong Kong-­based company M & S Trading to its Specially Designated Nationals List for allegedly shipping electronics to Russia, and the Commerce Department added China-based Planet Technology to the Entity List for procuring U.S.-origin items for Russia that were later recovered from a downed Iranian drone used by Russia in Ukraine.