Chinese Official Calls Sanctions Against Russia Increasingly 'outrageous'

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng speaks during a dialogue on democracy in Beijing, China, December 2, 2021. Photo taken December 2, 2021. REUTERS/Yew Lun Tian

BEIJING, March 20 – A senior Chinese government official said on Saturday that sanctions imposed by Western countries on Russia over Ukraine are becoming “outrageous.”

Deputy Foreign Minister Le Yucheng also acknowledged Moscow’s view of NATO, saying the alliance should not expand further east, driving a nuclear power like Russia “into a corner.”

China has not yet condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine or called them an invasion, although it has expressed deep concern about the war. Beijing also opposes economic sanctions against Russia over Ukraine, which it says are unilateral and not authorized by the UN Security Council.

“Sanctions against Russia are getting more and more outrageous,” Le told a security forum in Beijing, adding that Russian citizens are being stripped of foreign assets “for no reason.”

“History has proven time and time again that sanctions cannot solve problems. Sanctions will only harm ordinary people, affect the economic and financial system… and worsen the state of the global economy.”

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation” that it says is not intended to occupy territory, but to destroy the military potential of its neighbors and capture those it considers dangerous nationalists.

The White House said that in a Friday call between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, the US president warned his Chinese counterpart of the “consequences” if Beijing provided material support for a Russian attack. More

Moscow demanded legally binding guarantees from NATO that it would stop its expansion and return to its 1997 borders.

“This pursuit of absolute security (on the part of NATO) leads to absolute insecurity,” Le said. “The consequences of cornering a major power, especially a nuclear power, are even more unimaginable.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky said this week that Ukraine could accept international security guarantees that fall short of its long-standing goal of joining NATO.

Reporting by Ryan Wu Editing by Frances Kerry

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