The European Commission has proposed sanctions on seven Chinese companies accused of selling equipment that could be used in weapons for Russia’s war, the Financial Times reports.
The companies, some of them already sanctioned by the US, are included in a sanctions proposal that will be discussed by European countries later this week, according to a FT report published Monday, citing a proposal it had seen, according to Bloomberg.
Mainland-based 3HC Semiconductors and King-Pai Technology, as well as Sinno Electronics and Sigma Technology, which are based in Hong Kong, are on the proposed sanction list, according to the report. The list will need to receive unanimous approval from the 27 European Union member states before taking effect, the report said.
The proposal accused 3HC, a computer chip maker, of attempting to evade export controls and acquire US-origin items in support of Russia’s military or defense industrial base, according to the report. There was also a proposal to sanction some Iranian companies involved in making and supplying drones to Russia, as well as to widen the range of banned exports to Russia, according to the report.
China Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said his country’s economic trade with Russia was “completely above board,” at a press briefing in Beijing on Monday.
“If the reports you mentioned are true, the EU’s actions will seriously undermine China-EU mutual trust and cooperation, and deepen division and confrontation in the world,” he added.
“It is highly dangerous. We urge the EU not to go on this wrong path, otherwise China will take firm actions to safeguard our legitimate and lawful interests.”