Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Monday denounced U.S. recent sanctions against Russia, saying it exposed Washington's hegemonic thinking.
The U.S. last Friday announced new sanctions against Russian individuals and entities over the alleged poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin reiterated that Navalny's case is purely an internal affair of Russia at a regular press conference.
It is unjust for the relevant parties to make a presumption of guilt against Russia before the truth of the case is ascertained and unjustified in using this to impose unilateral sanctions, he said.
In terms of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline issue, Wang pointed out the U.S. side's unreasonable sanctions against normal cooperation between two sovereign states in accordance with its domestic laws grossly violated international law and basic norms of international relations.
The spokesperson added that the U.S. side's consistent hegemonic thinking and hegemonic behavior are against peoples' will, and the international community should oppose it.
The 1,230-km gas pipeline, expected to be completed soon, would transport 55 billion cubic meters of gas annually from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea.
The U.S. has long claimed that the Nord Stream 2 is a geopolitical maneuver by Moscow that will undermine Ukraine's role in transiting energy to Europe and increase European dependence on Russian gas. However, Germany and Russia insisted that the project is purely commercial.
