BEIJING China will closely follow the progress of European Union discussions on an 11th tranche of sanctions against Russia that could result in trade restrictions with China, Shu Jueting, a trade ministry spokeswoman, said on Thursday.
The EU's executive European Commission has proposed a tool to limit trade with third countries deemed to be bypassing sanctions already in place.
China firmly opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and are not authorised by the Security Council as well as long-arm jurisdiction, Shu said, calling on the EU to act prudently and not set a bad precedent. Germany has raised concerns within the EU regarding China's blacklisting of several Chinese firms, with the proposal including the introduction of a mechanism that could pave the way to a limit of EU exports to countries that sidestep the measures.
Some of the Chinese firms on the EU's proposed list, including King-Pai Technology, an electronics manufacturer, have already been placed under sanctions by the United States, which said it was a China-based supplier for multiple entities in Russia's military-industrial complex.
The Dutch and Polish prime ministers met at a joint press conference in The Hague on Wednesday, setting out how one of the focal points of the new measures was sanctions circumvention.
China will firmly safeguard the rights of Chinese enterprises to conduct normal trade, he said.