Video: China warns US over Iran sanctions
Abdullateef Fowewe
China has warned the United States against disrupting its economic ties with Iran through secondary sanctions, saying Beijing will act to protect its interests.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China opposed what it described as Washington’s unilateral sanctions targeting Iranian trade partners, following new measures announced by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
“China will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard its own rights and interests,” Lin said in a press briefing.
He said Beijing rejects the use of unilateral sanctions and what China sees as “long-arm jurisdiction,” arguing that such measures undermine normal trade relations and disrupt the international economic order.
China is Iran’s largest oil buyer and remains a key commercial partner for Tehran despite US efforts to curb Iranian oil exports through sanctions on firms, vessels and other entities involved in the trade.
The remarks come amid heightened US-Iran tensions and as scrutiny grows over how sanctions enforcement could affect China-Iran relations ahead of possible high-level engagement between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
