China Slams US Russia Sanctions Bill as 'Long-Arm Jurisdiction' — SkimNews
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- China's Foreign Ministry rejected the US sanctions bill as 'long-arm jurisdiction' lacking international law basis and UN Security Council authorization, with spokesperson Guo Jiakun stating Beijing's trade cooperation 'neither targets any third party nor is subject to interference or coercion from any third party'
- The US House of Representatives passed the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act 2026 on Wednesday in a 262-159 vote, after Senate clearance last month, sending the bill to Trump for signature
- The legislation aims to punish Russia for the Ukraine war and authorizes Trump to impose steep tariffs on Russia's leading trading partners, explicitly naming India and China
- China's imports of Russian oil and gas totaled $64 billion last year, with January–August figures already exceeding $70 billion this year — much of it transported via pipelines crossing the China–Russia land border
- Beijing has repeatedly opposed unilateral sanctions and previously defied US measures on Iranian oil purchases, framing this bill as part of the same coercive pattern
Why it matters: With over $70 billion in Russian energy imports already booked through August and pipelines as the primary delivery route, China has the most concrete material stake among the countries named in the bill — making Trump's signature decision a direct test of whether secondary tariffs can sever Beijing's deepening energy ties with Moscow.
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