China opposes US Congress sanctions Bill

China on Thursday rejected the US “long-arm jurisdiction” to impose tariffs on purchases of Russian oil and gas, saying its normal trade and economic cooperation with other countries should not be subject to interference or coercion by third parties.

The US House of Representatives passed the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act 2026 that authorises Trump to impose sanctions on Russia and steep tariffs on its leading trading partners such as India and China.

Asked about the bill, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a media briefing that China opposes any action that lacks UN Security Council authorisation. “China consistently opposes long-arm jurisdiction that lacks a basis in international law and is not authorised by the United Nations Security Council,” Guo said.

He said that China has always carried out normal economic and trade cooperation with countries around the world based on equality and mutual benefit.

“Such cooperation neither targets any third party nor is subject to interference or coercion from any third party”, he said.

Beijing has repeatedly opposed unilateral sanctions. It also defied US sanctions against buying oil from Iran. China, along with India, is one of the largest buyers of oil and gas from Russia.

Much of China’s imports are transported through pipelines crossing its land border.

According to official data, China’s imports of Russian oil and gas amounted to $64 billion last year, and its imports from January to August this year crossed over $70 billion.