Chinese businesses among hundreds newly sanctioned by US for aiding Russia in its war on Ukraine

Seventeen companies from mainland China and Hong Kong were among the hundreds of targets of fresh sanctions imposed on Friday by the United States, which accused them of shipping equipment to Russia or otherwise providing support in its war with Ukraine.

On the eve of the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion and retaliating for the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny last week, the White House announced more than 500 Russia-related sanctions, the largest number imposed since the conflict began. The sanctions primarily targeted Russia’s Mir payment system, financial institutions and its military industrial base.

The Treasury Department and State Department “have designated now more than 4,000 entities and individuals pursuant to [Russia]-related sanctions authorities over the last two years, the strongest set of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy”, John Kirby, White House national security spokesman, said.

Among them, Treasury named six Chinese makers and exporters for shipping microelectronics – some of them of foreign origin – to Russia, thus helping Moscow evade earlier sanctions. The department blocked the companies’ assets in the US and barred US businesses from dealing with them.

Three of the Chinese entities – Guangzhou Ausay Technology Co Limited, Shenzhen Biguang Trading Co Limited, Yilufa Electronics Limited – were also named on the European Union’s sanction list announced on Wednesday, accused of helping Russian buyers gain access to European-made goods with dual military and civilian uses, which the EU had banned from export to Russia.