Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian delivered another sharp rejection of the Trump administration’s announced plan to impose third party sanctions against all countries engaged in trade, investment, and other economic relations with Iran. Lin told a regular press briefing on Friday: “On the Iran situation, we always believe that dialogue and negotiation is the only viable way out. China opposes illicit unilateral sanctions. This position is consistent and clear.”
China is Iran’s number one trade partner, accounting for about a third of Iran’s total trade, including purchasing anywhere from 80-90% of that country’s oil exports.
On Aug. 27, President Donald Trump was asked if the new threatened sanctions would also be applied against Chinese banks. He replied: “Who said I’m not? You don’t know if I’m doing it... I don’t have to announce everything, do I?”
Indicating China’s sharp rejection of such threats, Global Times quoted Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation: “What we are seeing is a continued broadening of both the sectors covered and the entities targeted…. If such sanctions were actually imposed, the impact would be extensive and may significantly escalate tensions in China-US relations.”
