China urges US to fix ‘mistake’ of sanctioning firms over North Korea

SeongJoon Cho | Bloomberg | Getty Images

President of China, Xi Jinping.

The United States should “immediately correct its mistake” of imposing unilateral sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals to avoid damaging bilateral cooperation, a Chinese embassy spokesman said on Tuesday.

Washington announced new North Korea-related sanctions on Tuesday, targeting Chinese and Russian firms and individuals for allegedly facilitating Pyongyang’s weapons programs.

“China opposes unilateral sanctions out of the U.N. Security Council framework, especially the ‘long-arm jurisdiction’ over Chinese entities and individuals exercised by any country in accordance with its domestic laws,” the embassy spokesman said.

“We strongly urge the U.S. to immediately correct its mistake, so as not to impact bilateral cooperation on relevant issues.”