últimas notícias

China Rejects Sanctions on Russia, Partially Blames NATO for War

China continues to be critical of Western sanctions against Russia as leaders met with the European Union at a virtual summit Friday.

EU leaders hoped China would not help Russia circumvent economic measured imposed in response to the war in Ukraine, noting their mutual responsibility to “use their joint influence and diplomacy to bring an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine and the associated humanitarian crisis,” Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry partially blamed the conflict in Ukraine on the United States’ push to expand NATO and reiterated that sanctions are not effective.

“China disapproves of solving problems through sanctions, and we are even more opposed to unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction that have no basis in international law,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a daily briefing as the summit met.

He said the U.S. is the “culprit and leading instigator of the Ukraine crisis,” saying the growth of NATO pushed Russia “to the wall.”

Zhao said China will not be forced to “choose a side or adopt a simplistic friend-or-foe approach” when it comes to Ukraine.

“We should, in particular, resist the Cold War thinking and bloc confrontation,” he said.

The European Union said it discussed Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine “extensively” with China during the summit and called on China to “support efforts to bring about an immediate end to the bloodshed in Ukraine.”

“Any circumvention of the effects of the sanctions or any aid provided to Russia would prolong the bloodshed and lead to even greater losses of civilian lives and economic disruption,” the EU said in a statement.

Michel said the EU and China must work together to end Russia’s war and maintain their “common responsibility to maintain peace and stability, and a safe and sustainable world.”

“Key international norms and principles must be respected,” he said. “We count on China’s support to achieve a lasting ceasefire, to stop the unjustifiable war and address the dramatic humanitarian crisis it has generated.”

China refused to condemn Russia’s invasion but said it hopes to keep ties with the EU open to “steadily expand market access, protect fair competition and promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation.”

“China hopes that the EU will also provide a sound business environment to Chinese businesses investing and developing in Europe,” Premier Li Keqiang was quoted saying in a news release following the first summit session.