China calls US tariff proposal 'bullying and economic coercion'

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lìn Jiàn stated that his country has repeatedly expressed its position on purchasing Russian oil. According to him, China’s trade and energy cooperation with Russia is legal and legitimate.

"What the US has done is typical unilateral bullying and economic coercion, which will severely disrupt international economic and trade rules and threaten safety and stability of global industrial and supply chains," Lìn Jiàn emphasized.

He also referred to the full-scale war in Ukraine as the "Ukraine crisis" and described China’s position as "objective, just and aboveboard."

Lìn Jiàn added that China opposes US attempts to link the war to China, as well as illegal unilateral sanctions.

For context, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the Senate supports granting President Donald Trump the authority to impose 500% tariffs on China over its purchase of Russian oil.

He noted that, despite Beijing’s statements about wanting to safeguard world peace, China’s purchase of Russian oil fuels Russia’s military machine.

Graham’s bill

RBC-Ukraine previously reported that Senator Lindsey Graham has drafted the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, which proposes the most extensive anti-Russian sanctions since the start of the war. The bill aims to pressure the Kremlin into sitting at the negotiating table for peace talks.

The document pays special attention to the energy sector. In particular, it proposes imposing 500% tariffs on all Russian-origin goods, as well as similar duties on countries that continue to purchase oil, gas, uranium, and petroleum products from Russia.

More details on the initiative can be found in the RBC-Ukraine report.