China rejected on Thursday the application of American 'long-arm jurisdiction' to impose tariffs on purchases of Russian oil and gas, emphasizing that its normal trade and economic cooperation with other states should not be subject to interference.
The US House of Representatives passed the Lindsey Graham Act on sanctions against Russia and Iran in 2026. This law grants Trump the authority to impose sanctions on Russia and set high tariffs on its main trading partners, such as India and China.
In response to this bill, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated at a press briefing that China opposes any actions not approved by the UN Security Council. He noted: 'China consistently opposes long-arm jurisdiction that lacks basis in international law and is not sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council.'
Guo also stressed that China has always conducted normal economic and trade interactions with countries around the world based on the principles of equality and mutual benefit. He added that such cooperation 'is not aimed at any third party and is not subject to interference or coercion by any third party.'
Beijing has repeatedly objected to unilateral sanctions and previously ignored US sanctions concerning the purchase of Iranian oil. China, along with India, is one of the largest buyers of oil and gas from Russia. A significant portion of Chinese imports is transported through pipelines crossing its land border.
According to official data, last year China's import of Russian oil and gas amounted to 64 billion US dollars, and from January to August of this year, this volume exceeded 70 billion US dollars. The bill was passed by the US Senate last month, then approved by the House of Representatives with a vote of 262 to 159, and is now being sent to Trump for signature.
The goal of this law is to punish Russia for continuing the war against Ukraine.