BEIJING, April 2 (Reuters) – China is not deliberately circumventing sanctions against Russia, a Chinese diplomat said on Saturday, after the European Union called on Beijing not to allow Russia to circumvent Western sanctions imposed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Wang Lutong, director general of European affairs at China’s foreign ministry, told reporters that China is contributing to the global economy by conducting normal trade with Russia.
“China is not a party related to the crisis in Ukraine. We don’t believe our normal trade with any other country should be affected,” he said. Wang Lutong’s comments come the day after the Sino-European summit during which the EU commented on the sanctions and China assured that it would seek peace in Ukraine, but “in its own way”.
Beijing, which has close ties with Moscow, has refused to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine or label them an invasion and has repeatedly criticized what it calls illegal, unilateral Western sanctions.
“We oppose sanctions, and the effects of these sanctions are also likely to spill over to the rest of the world, leading to currency wars, trade and financial wars and also risking endangering supply chains, industries, globalization and even the economic order,” said Wang Lutong.
Wang Lutong also said no progress was made during the summit on a suspended investment deal between Beijing and Brussels.
The EU and China reached an investment deal at the end of 2020, but it was put on hold after Brussels sanctioned Chinese officials for alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region. which prompted Beijing to blacklist individuals and entities from the EU.
“The ball is in Brussels’ court,” said Wang Lutong.
“I think the Europeans have to lift the sanctions first, and then we can explore the possibility of lifting other retaliatory measures, which is reciprocal,” he added.
Although relations between China and the EU have been tense, Wang Lutong also touched on the commonalities between the two trading partners, saying the two sides will deepen their cooperation in the fight against climate change.
He also said that issues such as Ukraine and Iran represent points of cooperation, not points of friction.
Wang Lutong described Friday’s talks as “very frank, open and thorough”, echoing a similar characterization from EU officials.
The presidents of the European Commission and the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, spoke with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang for about two hours, then with President Xi Jinping for an hour, Wang Lutong said. (Report Yew Lun Tian, written by Tony Munroe; French version Camille Raynaud)