China has, for the first time, activated a law that allows it to retaliate against companies that comply with foreign sanctions deemed illegal by Beijing, in response to the inclusion of Chinese refineries on the United States' list of restrictions for purchases of Iranian oil. On Saturday (2), the Chinese Ministry of Commerce ordered local companies not to comply with the sanctions imposed by Washington against five refineries, including Hengli Petrochemical, recently added to the American list. The decision marks an escalation in Beijing's reaction to Western sanctions, which target companies accused of trading Iranian or Russian oil. China has repeatedly criticized these measures, classifying them as foreign interference. Hengli Petrochemical denied the United States' accusations of involvement in negotiations with Iran. The Chinese legislation, created in 2021 and revised in April, authorizes the government to impose countermeasures on companies and individuals, including trade and investment restrictions, as well as limitations on entry and exit from Chinese territory. In an editorial published on Sunday (3), the official Chinese newspaper “People’s Daily” stated that the measure seeks to “use the power of the rule of law to counter precisely the ‘extraterritorial jurisdiction’ of the US”.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.