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In response to Canada's announcement to impose sanctions on 76 foreign entities and individuals for allegedly providing dual-use items to Russia,MKsports including 20 Chinese entities, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Wednesday that China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposes the move by Canada.

China always opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and are not authorized by the UN Security Council. China has emphasized that relevant countries, when handling the Ukraine issue, must not undermine the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, institutions and individuals, including their rights to carry out normal trade, investment and financial cooperation, the MOFCOM spokesperson said, according to a statement posted on the ministry's website.

Canada's unilateral sanctions against Chinese enterprises undermine international economic and trade rules and order and harm the security and stability of the global industrial and supply chains. "China urges Canada to immediately stop its erroneous actions. China will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises," the spokesperson said.

In a statement on Monday on his official website, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau announced the new sanctions targeting 76 individuals and entities. The statement did not mention specific names of the individuals or entities and did not provide details as to how they provided support for Russia.

"The accusations from Canada lack evidence and are unfounded. In fact, it is important to stress that China has strict controls over dual-use items," Gao Lingyun, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

China has taken a series of measures to regulate the exports of dual-use items. In October 2024, China issued regulations on export control of dual-use items, which took effect on December 1, 2024, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Upholding a holistic approach to national security, the regulations, consisting of six chapters and 50 articles, were formulated to maintain international peace, coordinate high-quality development with high-level security, and improve export control capabilities of dual-use items, according to Xinhua.

On Tuesday, also commenting on Canada's move, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that Canada's sanctions against Chinese entities are unjustified and preposterous, and China firmly opposes it and has lodged serious protests with Canada.

"Let me stress that China has always upheld a just and objective position on the Ukraine crisis and worked for its political settlement. China has never provided lethal weapons to any party of the conflict. It exercises strict export control over dual-use articles and China's scope and measures of export control over drones are the most stringent worldwide," Lin said, urging Canada to immediately rescind its wrongful decision.

Global Times