China said it opposes unilateral sanctions without a basis in international law or United Nations Security Council authorization as it responded to the Trump administration's latest measures against Russia's two largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft.
Beijing's response was given by Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, at a regular press briefing on Thursday. His remarks were reported by Global Times, a state-run publication in China, and paraphrased in English.
The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Rosneft and Lukoil on Wednesday to add greater pressure on Russia to end its war against Ukraine after the Kremlin made clear it would not agree to a ceasefire as proposed by President Donald Trump.
Trump had said China, Russia's key strategic partner and a major pu