After President Donald Trump suggested tariffs of up to 100% on Russian oil buyers such as China and India, Beijing criticized the move as “economic pressure.” Earlier, Trump floated the idea during talks with European Union officials, saying the U.S. might act if the EU does the same. On behalf of Beijing, ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a Wednesday, September 10 press briefing
We firmly oppose the practice of constantly dragging China into the issue, and we firmly oppose the imposition of so‑called economic pressure on China …. China is neither the creator of this crisis nor a party to it.
China, a major trading partner of Russia, presents itself as a neutral party in the conflict. While it has not directly condemned Moscow, it consistently calls for a peaceful resolution and criticizes Western arms deliveries for escalating the war.
