Beijing firmly opposes EU's planned sanctions on three Chinese firms
(VOVWORLD) -China expresses its strong opposition to the European Union's (EU) plan to sanction three Chinese firms accused of circumventing EU sanctions on Russia in the Ukraine conflict, said spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wang Wenbin on Wednesday.
 Spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wang Wenbin. Photo: VOV
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According to the spokesperson, economic and trade cooperation between China and Russia is clear, pure and not aimed at a third party, nor is it interfered or influenced by any third party. China will apply necessary measures to protect the legal rights of its businesses, he added.
On Tuesday, the EU said in a statement that it intends to impose trade restrictions on more than 20 firms, including three firms based in China, for supporting Russia in its conflict with Ukraine.
If the proposal is approved, it will be the first time the EU imposes trade restrictions on Chinese companies since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022. Sanctions must be approved by all 27 EU member states before being adopted.
Last year, the EU proposed sanctions against seven Chinese businesses suspected of supporting Russia. However, this plan failed due to opposition from some EU member states.