Chinese national flag is raised at the Chinese embassy in London Photo: VCG

 



The Chinese Embassy in the UK has slammed the British government's latest sanctions against five Chinese entities, noting that they are a unilateral action with no basis in international law and China has made solemn representations to the UK regarding the sanctions.

On Thursday, the British government announced that "to crack down on Putin's war machine," it will impose 50 new sanctions designations and specifications, including five Chinese entities. The sanctions came two days ahead of the so-called Ukraine peace summit scheduled from Saturday to Sunday in Switzerland. 

Experts pointed out that instead of taking on the responsibility of a major country in international crises, the UK has chosen to baselessly accuse and sanction foreign companies at this time, which is a common tactic used by the UK as its influence declines. This not only exposes its hypocrisy, but also does not help in resolving conflicts.

Regarding the Ukraine crisis, the UK government, disregarding public opinion at home and around the world, has been fueling tension, said the spokesperson, noting that this has contributed to the protracted war and suffering and made peace even more elusive. 

Instead of reflecting on its own egregious behavior, the UK has framed charges to sanction entities from China and other countries. This fully exposes its hypocrisy, said the spokesperson. 

China urges the UK to immediately rectify its wrongdoing and revoke sanctions against Chinese companies. The Chinese government will take firm and strong measures to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises. The UK must know that any action that harms China's interests will be met with our firm response, according to the embassy spokesperson. 

Observers noted that the UK government's decision to announce sanctions on companies from other countries on the eve of the so-called Ukraine peace summit, citing their role in the Ukraine crisis, is nothing more than a publicity stunt and a way to pressure China. 

The UK, waning in influence, has no concrete plan for resolving the Ukraine crisis. Therefore, besides trying to smear other countries through the media, the country has found itself with few other options, Li Guanjie, a research fellow with the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies under the Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Friday.

This is not the first time that the UK has imposed sanctions on other countries' entities over the Ukraine crisis, and in fact, the sanctions have no meaningful impact on resolving the crisis, Li said. 

The embassy spokesperson also noted that on the Ukraine issue, China's position has been firm and consistent in promoting talks for peace. To this end, China and Brazil jointly issued six common understandings on a  political settlement of the Ukraine crisis recently, stressing three principles for deescalating the situation - no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no provocation by any party - and calling on all parties to uphold dialogue and negotiation, increase humanitarian assistance, oppose the use of nuclear weapons and attacks on nuclear power plants, and protect the stability of global industrial and supply chains.