China has stepped up a push to lift EU sanctions on Chinese companies it says are helping Russia supply equipment used in military operations in Ukraine. This stance is reported by Bloomberg, which cites unnamed sources familiar with the discussions.
The European Commission is weighing restrictions on eight Chinese firms that Brussels asserts directly support the Russian military industrial complex. Bloomberg reports that, following those initial plans, Chinese diplomats conducted meetings in Brussels and in Beijing to urge European policymakers to reverse or soften the measures.
One informant indicates that Beijing has signaled a willingness to retaliate if export controls remain in place, suggesting a calibrated response aimed at influencing EU decision making. The same source adds that any Chinese response would likely target the bloc at an institutional level rather than individual nations.
Fu Cong, China’s ambassador to the European Union, stated that Beijing seeks a collective resolution to the issue. He emphasized the need for the EU to provide concrete evidence showing that Chinese companies are exceeding the scope of existing sanctions against Russia, a point intended to clarify the boundaries of allowed trade and collaboration.
In a separate development on May 20, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen indicated that the bloc plans to impose sanctions on eight Chinese entities and to reinforce measures aimed at preventing Russia from bypassing those restrictions. The remarks underscore the ongoing tension between pursuing sanctions enforcement and managing diplomatic channels with China in response to the evolving situation in Ukraine.