China protests over US sanctions on Chinese firms ‘linked to Iran’
Foreign Ministry says measures will have adverse impact on Chinese companies and will not help resolve problems with Tehran
China has formally complained to the authorities in Washington over newly-imposed US sanctions against Iran which it says will severely affect Chinese businesses.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a daily press briefing on Monday that China opposes “unilateral sanctions” and that the move by Washington had adversely affected the interests of other parties.
“The sanctions will not help in enhancing trust among the different parties involved and will not help in resolving international problems,” he said.
The US imposed sanctions against 25 groups and people on Friday after Iran carried out a ballistic missile test.
The sanctions bar access to the US financial system or dealings with American companies. Foreign companies or people dealing with them also face blacklisting by the US authorities.
The new sanctions are the first of Trump’s presidency and target what US officials say is Iran’s weapons procurement network in Lebanon and China.