China rejects US demand to stop buying oil from Russia and Iran
Illustrative photo: China responds to US pressure over Russian oil (GettyImages)
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that it has no plans to revise its energy policy due to external pressure. In particular, to the US calls to stop buying oil from Russia and Iran, according to Associated Press.
"China will always ensure its energy supply in ways that serve our national interests. Coercion and pressuring will not achieve anything. China will firmly defend its sovereignty, security and development interests," the Chinese Foreign Ministry says in a statement.
Commenting on the talks, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the Chinese side "Chinese take their sovereignty very seriously" in purchasing Russian oil.
"We don’t want to impede on their sovereignty, so they would like to pay a 100% tariff," Bessent said.
He called the Chinese "tough" negotiators, but assured that China's resistance did not prevent the talks.
"I believe that we have the makings of a deal," he added.
However, Gabriel Wildau, managing director of the Teneo consulting company, expressed doubts about the possibility of implementing US President Donald Trump's threat to impose a 100% duty.
"Realizing those threats would derail all the recent progress and probably kill any chance" for Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to announce a trade deal if they meet in the fall," Wildau emphasized.
Washington is seeking to reduce oil exports from Russia and Iran, as energy remains the main source of revenue for these countries. The United States explains that it wants to limit the funding of the armed forces in this way: Russia, because of its war against Ukraine, and Iran, because it supports militants in various regions of the Middle East.
India and China have become the main buyers of Russian oil since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Only this allows Moscow to maintain its military machine, receiving money for the production of weapons.
India has already declared its readiness to refuse Russian oil in the event of Washington's sanctions.
