China Still Helping Russia, US Imposes Hundreds of Sanctions
The new US sanctions target 300 entities and individuals who continue to help Russia. Most come from China.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin chat at a meeting in Beijing, China, Friday (4/2/2022).
WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY — The Department of the Treasury and the Department of State of the United States imposed new sanctions on around 300 targets. These include 80 companies and individuals who enabled Russia to obtain the technology and equipment it needed from abroad.
Of the 300 targets sanctioned, there are many companies in China and Hong Kong. The reason is, they support Russia's war in Ukraine. Apart from targets in China, the sanctions also target companies and individuals in Russia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Slovakia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
A new sanction has been announced by the US Department of Treasury, Wednesday (5/1/2024) local time or Thursday in Indonesia. This new sanction is expected to lower Russia's war capabilities. With this sanction, the US strengthens its grip in limiting the Kremlin's income and access to important materials for the war in Ukraine.
The materials include machine equipment for producing unmanned aerial vehicles and microelectronics. In addition, there are also gunpowder, rocket propellants, and other explosive materials. The focus of the sanctions is to paralyze the military industry and chemical and biological weapons programs in Russia.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People on April 26, 2024, in Beijing, China.
The US also accused Russia of using the chemical weapon chlorofin and tear gas against Ukrainian forces. This violates the Chemical Weapons Convention. The US, along with its allied countries, is concerned about companies in China and other countries that are helping Russia.
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This support is what enables Russia to continue its invasion in Ukraine. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken have repeatedly warned China that they must take strong action on this matter. Blinken delivered the same warning again during his visit to China on Wednesday (24/4/2024).
According to the fact sheet from the Department of Foreign Affairs, the sanctions apply to "entities responsible for developing and supplying aerospace equipment, manufacturing, and technology that can be used by entities in Russia." As Russia begins to rebuild its defense capabilities, the US is rallying its allies to pressure China.
The FAW V2 China car was showcased at the Moscow International Automobile Salon in Moscow, Russia on August 31, 2012. Tensions between China and Europe related to the war in Ukraine are evident this week.
If China does not support Russia, the Russian war machine will not be able to move. "Russia's capability is increasing. They have many assets and their strength is recovering. They are a threat not only to Ukraine but also to other regions," said a senior US State Department official to CNN before Blinken's visit to China.
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The issue of air pollution is not new. The situation where the community is threatened by air pollution has been going on for a long time. There is plenty of research evidence showing the risks of the impact of air pollution. However, this has not yet led to significant efforts to control air pollution. As a result, residents are increasingly suffering under the onslaught of air pollution. The spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, stated that the government has been monitoring the export of dual-use goods in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Trade and economic interactions between China and Russia are in line with World Trade Organization regulations. "China firmly opposes unilateral illegal sanctions by the US," he said.
The US State Department has also expanded its target to Russia's ability to send liquefied natural gas (LNG). This is one of Russia's main exports. Sanctions target two tanker operators carrying technology, including concrete foundations, supporting offshore refineries for Russia's Arctic 2 LNG project.
Due to the previous US sanctions against Arctic LNG 2 months ago, Russia's largest LNG producer, Novatek, was forced to stop production at the project. This is because they lack fuel delivery tankers.
Those who are also targeted by US sanctions are Russian nuclear power company Rosatom's subsidiaries. There are also 12 entities within the Sibanthracite group, one of the largest metallurgical coal producers in Russia. Washington has also imposed sanctions on Russian airline Pobeda, a subsidiary of Aeroflot airlines.
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The US Department of Commerce had previously added over 200 Boeing and Airbus planes operated by Russian airlines to the export control list. This is part of the US sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
The US Department of State is also targeting three individuals in connection with the death of the late Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, who died in a Russian Arctic prison in February 2024. Russian authorities said that he died of natural causes. However, his supporters believe he was murdered by the Kremlin.
An oil processing plant belonging to Russian energy company Gazprom, southeast of Moscow, Russia, April 28, 2022.
Regarding the allegations, those who received sanctions were the director of the prison in Russia where Navalny was held, the head of the isolation detention squad, and the head of the medical unit in the colony where he was imprisoned before his death. Sanctions were imposed because, according to the US State Department, they were the officials who had been overseeing Navalny.
Enemy
The new sanctions imposed by the US are feared to worsen the US-China relationship. This also worsens the perception of US citizens who view China as an enemy. The annual survey conducted by Pew Research Center released on Wednesday (1/5/2024) shows that more than 40 percent of American citizens currently refer to China as an enemy.
Residents walk past shops in a mall, known among Russian traders as the "Russian Market", in Beijing, China on February 26, 2022.
A survey conducted on April 1-7, 2024 of 3,600 American adults found that half of them believe that US foreign policy should prioritize limiting China's power and influence.
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Half of the respondents also consider China as a competitor. Only 6 percent consider China as a partner. For five consecutive years, about eight out of 10 US citizens have viewed China with an unfavorable perception.
They also have little or even no faith in President China Xi Jinping's ability to handle global affairs, with 10 percent of respondents admitting to never having heard of Xi.
The majority of US citizens' attitudes towards China have turned critical since the US launched a trade war against China in 2018 and since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic. China's poor human rights record, proximity to Russia, and its policies towards Taiwan and Hong Kong have worsened the negative perception of Chinese citizens in the US.
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As many as 42 percent of Americans claim that China is an enemy of the US. This is the highest level since 2021. The majority of negative views come from members of the Republican Party and independent figures who lean towards the Republican Party. Those who consider China as an enemy also come from groups of elderly citizens, conservative members of the Republican Party, and those with negative views towards the US economy.
"US citizens view China more negatively when they think its influence in the world is growing. This also happens when they think China has a big impact on the US economy," said Christine Huang, a researcher at Pew. (REUTERS/AFP/AP)
