The EU is preparing a fresh raft of sanctions on Chinese firms it claims have aided Russia in the development of weapons used against Ukraine, Bloomberg reports.
According to documents viewed by the outlet, the new measures target firms that have exported goods used to create military drones.
Additionally, new restrictions have been proposed against Russian oil tankers that have helped Russia evade existing measures.
Goods sanctions
In addition to Chinese firms, the European Commission is proposing to add more than 50 individuals and nearly 30 entities to its sanctions list, banning travel and freezing assets.
This includes a Hong Kong firm found to have supplied Russia with banned micro-electric components, a Chinese individual in charge of a firm found to have breached EU trade restrictions and North Korean defence personnel who oversaw the deployment of troops to Russia.
Oil tankers
The proposals also include banning more than 45 Russian oil tankers from European ports and from accessing services for high-risk shipping practices.
Russian firms responsible for transporting oil are also set to be hit with sanctions.
To come into force, the proposals would need to be supported by all 27 EU members. If approved, they would be the bloc’s 15th package of sanctions on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Chinese response
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning hit back at the proposals, claiming that any equipment exported to Russia falls under the “dual-use” category, including drones.
“We have never provided any weapons and we have strictly controlled dual-use item, including the export of drones. We will take necessary measures to uphold the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.”
Earlier this year, the BBC reported that China exports around US$300m worth of dual-use items to Russia every month.
This followed US sanctions on 20 firms alleged to have supplied items used to support Russia’s military efforts, with US secretary of state Antony Blinken saying:
“Those [goods] are being used to help Russia on what's an extraordinary crash course effort to make more munitions, tanks, armoured vehicles, missiles.”
Wider concerns
As well as the US, several of the firms targeted in this set of proposals have also been sanctioned by the UK, which, along with the EU, also unveiled new sanctions on Russia’s “shadow fleet” of vessels supplying Russia with oil.
Reuters reports that foreign minister David Lammy made the announcement yesterday at the G7 meeting in Italy. Speaking from the summit in Fiuggi, he said:
“We are determined to ensure that both the ships, the enablers of those ships thwarting European and UK sanctions are hurt at this time.”
Straining UK-Chinese relations
China’s implicit support of Russia’s war in Ukraine has been a sticking point in the Labour government’s more conciliatory approach to the superpower in recent months.
Meetings between Lammy and Chinese counterpart Ning in Beijing last month saw him raise China’s relationship with Russia as a point of concern.
However, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer still met with Chinese premier Xi Jinping during last week’s G20 summit, proposing greater collaboration on areas including trade and the economy.
