With CAATSA out of the bag, China claws at US for sanctions

Chinese President Xi Jinping, POTUS Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pics/AFP

An "outraged" China on Friday lodged a diplomatic protest with the US for imposing punitive sanctions on its military unit for buying Russian weapons, warning of "consequences" if the sanctions are not revoked.

The US State Department said on Thursday that the purchases of Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets and S-400 surface-to-air missiles by China's Equipment Development Department (EDD) of China's Ministry of Defence violated US sanctions on Russia. Both the EDD and its director, Li Shangfu, have been named in Thursday's sanctions.

It is the first time the Trump administration targeted a third country with its Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 (CAATSA), designed to punish Russia for its seizure of Crimea and other activities. Reacting to the US move, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, "China is strongly outraged by this unreasonable action of the US and lodged stern representations".

Asked whether China would continue its close intelligence and defence cooperation with Russia, Geng said, "China and Russia are comprehensive strategic partners of coordination. We have been having normal exchanges of cooperation on the basis of equality, mutual trust and mutual benefit in various fields including national defence".

'Playing with fire'
Moscow said Friday Washington's latest raft of anti-Russian sanctions that also target China undermined global stability, warning US against "playing with fire." "It would be good for them to remember there is such a concept as global stability which they are thoughtlessly undermining by whipping up tensions in Russian-American ties," said deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov, adding, "Playing with fire is silly, it can become dangerous...we recommend that Washington's operators...at least superficially acquaint themselves with our history."

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