China Warns Against Iran Sanctions
China warned that sanctions would only escalate tensions as Washington launches what US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has called an ‘economic D-Day’ for Iran, with countries trading with Tehran also facing potential penalties.
“Sanctions and pressure do not help resolve issues; they only exacerbate tensions and escalate the situation, which is not in the interests of either side,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Lin Jian said at a briefing in Beijing on Monday.
“China will closely monitor relevant developments and take necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” he continued, adding that China stands ready to lead diplomatic efforts in search of peace in the region.
“We are willing to continue our efforts to restore peace and tranquillity to the Middle East at the earliest opportunity, in the spirit of the four-point proposal put forward by President Xi Jinping on maintaining and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East,” he noted.
US Threatens Tougher Iran Sanctions
Bessent echoed Trump’s call for economic pressure, pledging the “toughest sanctions in history” against Iran will follow, alongside pressure on other countries to cut economic ties with Tehran.
He said Washington would target those transferring money or buying Iranian oil, effectively forcing countries to choose between doing business with Iran and facing US enforcement.
China is particularly exposed as the biggest buyer of shipped Iranian oil.
“China is closely monitoring the situation in the Gulf region of the Middle East and is actively committed to promoting reconciliation and dialogue,” Lin continued.
The latest US pressure follows President Donald Trump’s warning that countries providing an economic ‘lifeline’ to Iran could themselves face economic consequences.
China Rejects US Tech Allegations
On allegations by US officials on social media relating to Chinese technology companies, Lin Jian warned that the comments ‘fabricate facts and distort the truth’. “They constitute blatant technological bullying and unilateral coercion, to which China is firmly opposed,” he warned, noting that Chinese technology enterprises are trustworthy and accusing the US itself of being “long engaged in eavesdropping, surveillance and cyber-attacks in Latin America and the Caribbean, making countries in the Americas feel insecure and untrusted.”
This comes after the US government accused Chinese company Moonshot AI of a ‘large-style, covert’ campaign to steal intellectual property from US AI company Anthropic’s flagship Claude model.
China Defends Hong Kong Crackdown
On the issue of Hong Kong activists found guilty on national security charges, he accused the ‘Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China’ (HKASPDMC) programme of ‘subverting state power’, while insisting that the “Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s crackdown on acts endangering national security in accordance with the law is reasonable and lawful.”
“Hong Kong affairs are purely China’s internal affairs. We urge the relevant parties to genuinely respect China’s sovereignty and the rule of law in Hong Kong, to cease political manipulation, and to stop interfering,” he warned.
He also commented on “meetings between the Special Representatives on the China–India Border Issue”, noting that the sides had reached a ‘number of consensuses’, with dialogue to continue to ensure peace and security.
Article by Viory
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