The comments came amid US concerns about Chinese support for Moscow.
China refuses to be subjected to Western sanctions against Russia, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a comment released on Tuesday by the Xinhua News Agency.
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“China is not a party to the (Ukraine) crisis and even less wants to be affected by sanctions,” Wang Yi said during a telephone interview with his Spanish counterpart, Jose Manuel Albarez.
The Asian giant “always opposes the use of sanctions to solve problems, especially unilateral sanctions that are not based on international law,” he said. “China has the right to protect its legitimate rights and interests,” he said.
The comments came amid US concerns about Chinese support for Moscow. Beijing has not condemned the invasion of Ukraine and blames the West for this because of the “expansion” of NATO.
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The United States is “deeply concerned” by China’s stance on “alliance with Russia” regarding the war in Ukraine, a senior White House official said Monday after a high-level meeting in Rome between U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Yang Jiechi, a top Communist diplomat party of China.
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The official did not want to comment on reports in the American press, according to which Moscow asked Beijing to provide it with economic and military assistance to invade Ukraine. When questioned, Beijing dismissed “fake news” on Monday.
“We are very closely monitoring the extent to which China or any other country provides assistance to Russia, whether it be material, economic or financial assistance,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said Monday.
“We have made it clear to Beijing that we will not sit idly by. We will not allow any country to compensate for the losses suffered by Russia due to Western sanctions,” he continued.