Beijing Draws Red Line Against Washington, Rejects US Pressure on Russia Trade
Beijing rejects Washington’s tariff threats, warns against coercion and ‘long-arm jurisdiction’ over China-Russia economic cooperation
BEIJING: China has rejected US pressure over its economic and trade relations with Russia, insisting that normal cooperation between sovereign countries should not be disrupted or coerced by third parties.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun made the remarks in Beijing on Thursday while responding to questions about a US congressional bill that targets Russia and authorizes President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on countries purchasing Russian oil and gas, potentially including major buyers such as China and India.
“China carries out economic and trade cooperation with countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefit,” Guo said at a press briefing.
He stressed that China’s economic cooperation with other countries was not directed against any third party and should not be interfered with through external pressure.
“China’s cooperation does not target any third party and it should not be disrupted under the coercion of any third party,” the spokesman said.
Guo also criticized what Beijing describes as the unilateral application of US jurisdiction beyond its borders, saying China opposes “long-arm jurisdiction” that lacks a basis in international law or authorization from the United Nations Security Council.
The comments came after the US House of Representatives approved legislation on Wednesday by a vote of 262-159. The measure had already cleared the Senate and now awaits President Trump’s signature.
The legislation includes sanctions targeting Russian officials, banks, energy companies and defense-related sectors. It would also give the US president authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on countries that purchase Russian oil and gas.
The proposed measures could have significant implications for major Russian energy customers, particularly China and India, which have maintained substantial energy and trade links with Moscow despite Western sanctions imposed following the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
China and Russia have significantly expanded their bilateral economic relationship in recent years. Trade between the two countries surpassed $240 billion in 2024, with a growing share of transactions conducted in their national currencies.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have repeatedly characterized the bilateral relationship as a comprehensive strategic partnership, reflecting close political, economic and diplomatic ties between Beijing and Moscow.
The latest US pressure has also raised questions about the future direction of China-Russia economic cooperation, with analysts expecting the two countries to continue strengthening their ties despite Washington’s sanctions policy.
China and Russia have also remained active within BRICS, a grouping that has expanded considerably since its establishment as a cooperation forum among Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2006.
South Africa joined the group in 2011, while the expanded BRICS now includes Iran, Russia, China, Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.
The grouping has broadened its cooperation beyond trade and finance to areas including healthcare, climate action, technology and development.
BRICS countries collectively account for a substantial share of the world’s population and global economic activity. The bloc has increasingly promoted greater representation for developing countries in international institutions and has also discussed reducing reliance on the US dollar in cross-border trade.
Against this backdrop, China’s latest response signals that Beijing intends to maintain its economic relations with Moscow while opposing efforts by Washington to pressure third countries into changing their trade and energy policies toward Russia.China has rejected US pressure over its economic ties with Russia, saying normal cooperation between countries should not be disrupted or coerced by third parties.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun made the remarks in Beijing on Thursday in response to questions about a US Congress bill targeting Russia and authorizing the administration of President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that purchase Russian oil and gas, potentially including China and India.
“China carries out economic and trade cooperation with countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefit,” Guo told reporters.
“China’s cooperation does not target any third party and it should not be disrupted under the coercion of any third party,” he said.
“We always oppose long-arm jurisdiction that has no basis in international law or authority of UN Security Council,” Guo added.
The US House of Representatives approved the sanctions bill on Wednesday by a 262-159 vote. The measure, which had previously passed the Senate, now goes to Trump for his signature. It targets Russian officials, banks, energy and defense sectors and also gives the US president authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil and gas.
China and Russia have significantly expanded bilateral trade in recent years. Trade between the two countries exceeded $240 billion in 2024, with most transactions conducted in their national currencies.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have repeatedly described their countries’ relationship as a comprehensive strategic partnership, underscoring close political and economic ties between Beijing and Moscow.
In the meantime, analysts expect China-Russia relations to deepen further despite US pressure and sanctions.
Just days ago leaders of the two countries attended the 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi under the theme of “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
Originally established in 2006 as a cooperation forum among Russia, India, Brazil and China, the economic bloc has expanded. It added South Africa in 2011, and now comprises of 11 countries, namely, Iran, Russia, China, Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the UAE.
BRICS countries — which collectively represent nearly half of the world’s population, around 40 percent of global GDP and 26 percent of global trade — have since broadened their scope of cooperation to cover new areas such as health, climate action and advanced technologies.
The group aims to promote the interests of the countries in the Global South, and push for greater representation in global governance while also taking steps to depart from the US dollar in trade.
