China warns that it does not want to be affected by sanctions against Russia | International

China has warned against being hit “further” by Western sanctions against Russia as punishment for the Ukraine invasion. In a conversation on Monday with his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned that his country “has the right to protect its legitimate interests and rights” against these measures, according to the official statement. distributed by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs this Tuesday.

Beijing, which refuses to refer to the Russian attack as an “invasion or” war “and maintains a position of neutrality biased towards Moscow – its strategic partner-, has systematically expressed its rejection of the sanctions, which it considers “illegal” and imposed in an illegal way. “unilateral”. Both Wang and Chinese President Xi Jinping himself have denounced on several occasions that these punitive measures will harm the world’s recovery after the covid pandemic, and will have a negative effect on global supply chains, energy supply and transportation. , among other sectors.

“China always opposes the use of sanctions to solve problems, and is even more opposed to unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and will cause damage to the livelihoods of people in all countries,” he said. Wang declared in the meeting with Albares, according to the official statement from his ministry.

The senior official of the Asian giant stresses that “China is not a party to this crisis, and does not want to be affected by the sanctions even more. China has the right to protect its legitimate interests and rights.”

The sanctions against Russia, which have blocked part of that country’s foreign currency reserves and the access of its main banks to the international SWIFT transfer system, among other measures, have triggered the price of oil and other raw materials. Rising energy costs may affect, among other things, global supply chains at a time when China — a major consumer of Russian gas, oil and grain — faces slowing economic growth and relies on exports. , the great pillar of its recovery after covid, to prop it up. Beijing celebrates its great five-year political event —the 20th Congress of the Communist Party— that will anoint Xi for a third five-year term as head of the country, and does not want any economic or social shock that could overshadow that event.

For its part, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has limited itself to giving an account of what Albares told Wnag Yi, underlining that the head of Spanish diplomacy reminded his Chinese counterpart that humanity is experiencing “a historic moment that requires of all world leaders sense of responsibility and vision of the future”, alluding to China’s role as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

The Spanish minister, according to his department, reiterated the condemnation of the Russian invasion and the Spanish commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and added: “Sanctions are not easy for anyone, but we are fully committed and willing to assume the consequences.” .

The conversation between the two ministers came a day after a seven-hour meeting between US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi in Rome. Washington has denounced that Moscow has asked Beijing for economic and military aid for the war in Ukraine, something that China has branded as “disinformation”.

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