The European Commission has proposed adding several Chinese companies to a blacklist and limiting exports to countries seen as involved in circumventing trade restrictions imposed on Russia, as part of the latest set of sanctions against Moscow due to its war in Ukraine. Several diplomatic sources indicated that EU countries will hold the first discussion on the proposal, put forward by the Commission's foreign policy committee, next Wednesday, and all member states must agree to impose new sanctions.
The proposal aims to address attempts to evade existing trade restrictions through a third country, with the EU identifying China, Turkey, the UAE, and countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus as potential offenders. Diplomatic sources revealed that seven Chinese companies will face asset freezes within the EU, marking the first sanctions imposed by the EU on China due to allegations of Beijing supporting Moscow in the war in Ukraine.
On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stated that China urges the EU not to take the "wrong path" and that it is prepared to take measures to protect its rights and interests.
