UPDATE - China slams EU over fresh Russia sanctions, says dialogue 'only viable way' out of Ukraine war

UPDATES WITH DETAILS FROM NEWS CONFERENCE, ADDS BACKGROUND; CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - China on Thursday slammed the EU over its fresh Russia sanctions.

China "firmly" opposes this decision and has lodged "serious protests with the EU side," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference in Beijing.

The EU earlier on Thursday adopted its 19th sanctions package on Russia, targeting, in its words, "Russian banks, crypto exchanges, (and) entities in India and China, among others."

Some 12 Chinese companies, as well as three Indian and two Thai firms were among the sanctioned entities.

"As we've stressed on multiple occasions, China is not the creator of the current crisis, nor a party to it," Guo said.

"China is committed to promoting talks for peace, has never provided lethal weapons to any party to the conflict, and exercised strict export over dual use articles," he said, urging the EU to "stop making an issue about China, stop undermining China's interests."

"It is not conducive to the sound and steady development of China-EU ties," he said.

The EU has added several Chinese and Hong Kong–based entities to its sanctions list since the 13th package in February 2024.

The US on Wednesday also imposed new sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, citing Moscow’s "lack of serious commitment" to a peace process to end the war in Ukraine.

China always opposes "unilateral sanctions that has no basis in international law and are unauthorized by the UN Security Council," Guo said on the US sanctions.

Guo also stressed that dialogue and negotiation are the "only viable way" out of the Russia-Ukraine war, regarding US President Donald Trump's remarks on Wednesday that he believes Chinese President Xi Jinping can play a key role in persuading Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

"Coercion and putting pressure on others will not solve any problem," Guo said.

Millions have been killed, wounded, or displaced during the more than three years of war between Russia and Ukraine.