BEIJING: China said Thursday that its purchases of Russian oil were “legitimate” and decried recent “unilateral bullying” measures by the United States as the trade row between the two countries continues to intensify.
Trump said Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised him New Delhi would stop buying Russian oil, and that he would get China to follow suit.
Trump has accused both China and India of funding the three-year Ukraine war through the purchases, and has also demanded that European allies immediately stop buying oil from Russia.
India neither confirmed or denied it was shifting its policy.
Asked on Thursday about Trump’s intention to pressure China further, Beijing’s foreign ministry defended its “normal, legitimate economic, trade, and energy cooperation with countries around the world, including Russia”.
“The actions of the United States are a typical example of unilateral bullying and economic coercion,” ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a press briefing.
If China’s interests are harmed, it will “take firm countermeasures and resolutely safeguard its sovereignty”, he warned.
Beijing and Moscow are key trading partners, and China has never denounced Russia’s war, nor called for it to withdraw its troops.
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