The Chinese Foreign Ministry reacted with vitriol on Monday to a new round of sanctions on individuals and businesses in the country by the government of Ukraine, which accused those affected of cooperating with the ongoing Russian invasion.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Sunday that an 18th round of sanctions on Russian and other international companies would go into effect, targeting over 90 companies around the world, according to the state news agency Ukrinform. Institutions tied to the Chinese Communist Party were among the most negatively affected by the sanctions, as Kyiv has repeatedly published information indicating that China is helping Russia maintain its invasion by supplying critical components of weapons, including special chemicals, and claimed this year to have captured Chinese soldiers fighting in the Ukraine war theater.
The sanctions are a dramatic departure from Zelensky’s policy in early 2022, as the Russian “special operation” began, when the Ukrainian president attempted to court the Chinese government by offering its businesses the opportunity to help rebuild the country after the war. Ukraine is formally a member of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a global infrastructure scam to ensnare poor countries into predatory debt, and Zelensky has asked repeatedly for genocidal dictator Xi Jinping to help convince his Russia counterpart Vladimir Putin to end the invasion.
Those calls have largely fallen on deaf ears. Zelensky and Xi spoke in April 2023, after repeatedly attempts to reach Xi by the Ukrainian president, and the Chinese government sent a group of diplomats to tour Europe shortly thereafter in an attempt to broker peace. Those attempts failed to make any meaningful difference in the battlefield situation, however.
Zelensky announced a new round of sanctions targeting “over 90 companies involved in the extraction of rare metals used to manufacture engines and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the aggressor state,” among other activities, on Sunday.
“Restrictions from the 18th sanctions package have now been applied, in particular, to structures affiliated with Russia’s shadow tanker fleet, as well as to 53 individuals and legal entities — Russian, Chinese, Iranian, and from other countries,” Zelensky explained. “”Restrictions have been imposed on more than 90 companies involved in extracting rare-earth and critical metals essential for the production of electronics, guidance systems, engines, and drones.”
“Russia’s decision to start and then prolong this war is a decision to destroy their own economic potential,” Zelensky affirmed. “Our joint actions with partners are truly making that happen. I thank everyone who is helping!”
Asked about the sanctions on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun condemned Ukraine, asserting that Beijing would always “oppose unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law.”
“We urge the Ukrainian side to correct its mistake at once and undo the negative effect,” Guo scolded. “China will firmly safeguard the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies.”
Neither the Chinese nor Ukrainian governments published a full list of the sanctioned entities from China. The Kyiv Independent detailed that those involved were considered to be “either directly or indirectly involved in Russia’s military industrial complex.”
“Ukraine’s sanctions include a full asset freeze, a temporary ban on managing or disposing of property, restrictions on trade operations, the suspension of transit, flights, and transportation through Ukrainian territory,” the newspaper reported, “and the revocation of state honors.”
These sanctions followed a growing list of accusations out of Kyiv that China is playing an ever-growing role in helping Russia sustain its ongoing invasion by offering critical supplies and even supplying foot soldiers, beyond the known role Beijing plays in purchasing Russian fossil fuels. Last week, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIU) published a report claiming that Russia debuted a new drone model using all-Chinese “components and modules.”
“Nearly half of these components, including the flight controller with autopilot, navigation modules and antennas, airspeed sensor, and Pitot tube, come from a single Chinese company, CUAV Technology,” Ukrinform reported, “which specializes in UAV system modules and applications.”
Ukrainian officials subsequently accused the Chinese government of sending these parts, including engines for combat drones, to Russia and hiding them in shipments of alleged “industrial refrigeration units.”
In April, Zelensky published videos on his social media accounts of men that he claimed were Chinese nationals apprehended fighting against Ukrainian soldiers on behalf of Russia.
“The Chinese are fighting on the territory of Ukraine. And I think this is an important point that we need to discuss with our partners,” Zelensky stated at the time. “I think it is urgent. I understand that we are a strong country, but we cannot fight many countries at the same time, which all need something on our land.”
The Chinese government neither confirmed nor denied that the individuals in question were Chinese citizens, telling reporters it was “verifying the information,” but never following up on that commitment.
In early July, Kyiv announced that it had arrested two Chinese nationals, a 24-year-old student and his father, allegedly caught attempting to steal documents showing designs of a new Ukrainian cruise missile.
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