China: US Must Stop Imposing Sanctions to Help Resolve Ukraine Conflict

© AP Photo / Andy WongIn this April 14, 2016 file photo, a Chinese national flag flutters against the office buildings in Shanghai, China.
In this April 14, 2016 file photo, a Chinese national flag flutters against the office buildings in Shanghai, China.  - Sputnik International, 1920, 06.04.2022
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Earlier this week, a Biden administration official reportedly said that Washington will announce new sanctions on Russia on Wednesday, in coordination with Group of 7 nations and the European Union, over Moscow's ongoing special military operation in Ukraine.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian has said the US must stop adding fuel to the fire by imposing sanctions on Russia if Washington wants to help de-escalate the Ukraine tensions.
"If the US really wants to contribute to the de-escalation of the situation in Ukraine, they must stop adding fuel to the fire, stop brandishing the sanctions baton, and really promote peace negotiations", Zhao told reporters on Wednesday.
The remarks came after The Washington Post cited unnamed sources as saying that American officials are considering strengthening the sanctions campaign against Russia amid the latter's ongoing special military operation in Ukraine.
The sources claimed that the additional sanctions could target Russia's economic sectors that have so far been exempt from restrictions, such as mining, transportation, and more areas of the financial sector.
According to the insiders, "secondary sanctions" targeting countries that continue to trade with Russia have also been discussed by the White House.
Alexander Shchetinin, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department of Latin America (DLA), has since told Sputnik that the West "does not care about the global socio-economic consequences of the sanctions imposed against Russia, in particular in the energy, financial, and food sectors".
This was preceded by the news agency Bloomberg reporting that despite the negative impact of Western sanctions, the Russian economy may "emerge with a sparkling balance sheet if some of its biggest trade partners don't turn off the tap on its exports of energy".
The news outlet argued that Russia might "earn nearly $321 billion from [its] energy exports" before the end of this year, a surge of more than a third when compared to 2021.

US, Allies Sanction Russia Over Its Special Op in Ukraine

The US and its allies slapped "severe" and comprehensive sanctions on Russia over its ongoing special military operation in Ukraine announced by President Vladimir Putin on 24 February.
Russia's Defence Ministry underscored that the nation's armed forces are only targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure with high-precision weapons and that civilians are not in danger.
As part of the sanctions, US President Joe Biden announced a total ban on energy imports from Russia in early March, while the UK vowed to phase out imports of Russian oil and coal products by the end of 2022. The European Commission, in turn, rolled out a plan to reduce reliance on Russian gas by two-thirds before Christmas, and abolish Russian fossil fuel, such as coal and oil, by 2030.
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