China urges US to ‘immediately halt’ sanctions on Chinese firms with Iran ties

Foreign ministry calls it a ‘wrongful action’ and says trade with Iran is legitimate and ‘should be respected’

US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Sunday said China was ‘subject to sanctions just like everybody else’

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The US has sanctioned several Chinese companies, including Cosco, for transporting Iranian oil. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:00pm, 13 Jan 2020Updated: 4:37pm, 17 Feb 2020

China on Monday called for the US to “immediately halt” sanctions on Chinese companies for maintaining business ties with Iran amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.

The administration of US President Donald Trump on Friday imposed new sanctions on Iran following attacks on US and allied troops in Iraq earlier in the week. The latest round of sanctions is set to hit much of Iran’s economy as well as Chinese companies that have conducted business with Iran.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang on Monday said Beijing opposed what it saw as unilateral sanctions and called for Washington to stop punishing Chinese companies through those sanctions.

“We think that sanctions or threats of sanctions will not solve the issues at hand,” Geng said during a regular press briefing in Beijing.

Geng’s remarks came after US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told Fox News on Sunday that “China is subject to sanctions just like everybody else”.

“We actually sanctioned some of their shipping companies that were involved in the oil, and we will continue to pursue sanctions activities against China and anybody else around the world that continues to do business with them,” Mnuchin said during the interview.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said “sanctions or threats of sanctions will not solve the issues at hand”. Photo: EPA-EFE