China objects to ‘unilateral sanctions’ in Ukraine war as EU proposes new trade curbs

Chinese envoy to UN repeats call for ‘political settlement’ of crisis and takes aim at Nato, saying bloc should ‘wake up from the myth of force’

The comments come amid reports that Brussels plans to target three mainland firms and one Hong Kong company with latest measures

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China does not officially call the Ukraine conflict a “war” or an “invasion” but has frequently offered to help mediate to find a “political solution”. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:00pm, 13 Feb 2024Updated: 7:08pm, 13 Feb 2024

China has renewed its opposition to “unilateral sanctions” in relation to the war in Ukraine, again calling on the international community to “actively promote peace and dialogue” for a “political settlement of the crisis”.

Addressing a United Nations Security Council session on the conflict on Monday, Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, took aim at Nato, saying that the alliance should “wake up from the myth of force and stop making threats and calling for war”.

He repeated Beijing’s long-standing position that it supported Kyiv and Moscow in “strengthening exchanges and resuming negotiations”.

The call comes as the European Union proposed blacklisting three mainland Chinese firms and one Hong Kong company for circumventing EU sanctions on Russia.

This week, the bloc’s 27 member states will be asked to approve the listing of three mainland Chinese entities, along with another based in Hong Kong, as part of its 13th package of sanctions on Russia, almost two years into the war, according to diplomatic sources.