Exclusive | EU set to push Xi Jinping to stop Chinese firms getting around sanctions on Russia
- The bloc will push the Chinese president to act against 13 companies, and may name and shame the firms if they do not secure a firm commitment
- Action on sanctions and a commitment for China to re-engage with Ukraine’s peace formula as seen as two potential gains at a summit in Beijing next week
EU leaders will personally ask Chinese President Xi Jinping to rein in 13 Chinese entities accused of circumventing sanctions on Russia.
The sanctions are designed to stop companies linked to the Russian military from accessing European-made goods, according to several people familiar with the summit preparation.
Chinese firms were initially excluded from the bloc’s 12th package of sanctions, but the names of the companies in question may be added to the list if the EU does not secure a firm commitment to act.
Important member states, including France and Germany, prefer to raise the issue with the very top leadership in Beijing.
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There is a sense that decisions are highly centralised in the Chinese political system, and while dialogue continues with Chinese diplomats in Europe, Brussels now wants to take it to a higher level.
