Chinese envoy Shi Mingde warns West against sanctions on Russia
Shi Mingde, Beijing's top envoy to Germany, says punitive measures by West could lead to 'spiral'
China's top envoy to Germany has warned the West against punishing Russia with sanctions for its intervention in Ukraine, saying such measures could lead to a dangerous chain reaction that would be difficult to control.
This came as the US and Germany stepped up pressure on Russia to back down from plans to annex Crimea, warning that they will exact an economic toll if Russia doesn't.
"We don't see any point in sanctions," ambassador Shi Mingde said. "Sanctions could lead to retaliatory action, and that would trigger a spiral with unforeseeable consequences. We don't want this."
Shi made his remarks as the EU agreed a framework for sanctions that would see travel bans and asset freezes imposed on people and companies accused by Brussels of violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Using her toughest rhetoric since the crisis began, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned in a speech in parliament that Russia risked "massive" political and economic damage if it did not change course in the coming days.
"If Russia continues on the course of the last weeks, it won't just be a catastrophe for Ukraine," Merkel said. "It would also cause massive economic and political harm to Russia."
Russia's deputy economy minister, Alexei Likhachev, responded by promising "symmetrical" sanctions by Moscow.