Beijing Rejects US Call For Economic Pressure Over Ukraine War

Beijing Rejects US Call For Economic Pressure Over Ukraine War

Beijing said Friday it “strongly opposes” efforts to impose economic pressure on China, after US President Donald Trump urged European countries to do so in response to the war in Ukraine.

China has avoided condemning Russia’s invasion or demanding a withdrawal of its troops, a stance that has led many of Kyiv’s allies to suspect Beijing of supporting Moscow.

While insisting it is a neutral party, China has repeatedly called for peace talks and accused Western governments of prolonging the conflict by arming Ukraine.

Trump, speaking by video conference with European leaders gathered in Paris on Thursday, pressed them to increase pressure on China and urged Europe to halt purchases of Russian oil, which he said were financing the war, according to a senior White House official.

Moscow and Beijing announced a “no-limits partnership” shortly before Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, and ties between the two powers have deepened since.

On Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping appeared alongside Russian leader Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a large military parade marking 80 years since the end of World War II, a move criticised by the European Union’s top diplomat.

Defending the presence of “foreign guests,” Beijing said the event was intended to “work together with peace-loving countries and peoples to remember history.”

Asked twice on Friday whether China considers Russia a “peace-loving country,” foreign ministry spokesperson Guo declined to give a direct yes-or-no answer.

“We firmly oppose the practice of constantly dragging China into the matter, and we strongly oppose the imposition of so-called economic pressure on China,” spokesman Guo Jiakun told a press briefing.