The country sanctioned three Chinese firms on Friday, days after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused China of exporting arms to Russia. The sanctions step up the rivalry just one day after President Zelenskyy accused the government of collecting evidence linking Beijing to Moscow weapons supply.
The sanctioned entities, listed in an update from the Ukrainian government, include Beijing Aviation and Aerospace Xianghui Technology Co Ltd, Rui Jin Machinery Co Ltd, and Zhongfu Shenying Carbon Fiber Xining Co Ltd all of whom are said to be registered in China. Although no concrete reasons were given for their inclusion, the sanctions in effect prevent the companies from doing business in Ukraine and freeze any assets they may have there.
The incidents come after Zelenskyy made a statement during a press conference held in Kyiv on Thursday when he claimed that Chinese companies supplied artillery and gunpowder to Russia. He also indicated some of the weapons were being produced by Chinese forces on Russian soil. Nonetheless, he did not provide direct proof to justify the claims.
China has strongly denied the allegations, and its foreign ministry has called them “groundless.” Although Beijing has close economic relations with Moscow, it remains committed to taking a neutral stance in the conflict and refuses to be involved in military assistance.
In 2021, before hostilities were escalated, Ukraine sold $8 billion worth of predominantly raw materials and agricultural products to China and imported almost $11 billion of mainly manufactured items.
Adding to the controversy, Zelenskyy recently accused Chinese nationals of joining Russian troops in the war two of whom were reportedly taken into custody. However, both Ukrainian and US officials later stated that the men had volunteered on their own for financial purposes.
As diplomatic tension mounts, Ukraine’s action signals a harder line against foreign companies it accuses of supporting Russia’s war effort even as it wades through complex global alliances.
