US SANCTIONS CHINA FOR BUYING RUSSIAN JETS, MISSILES

The Trump administration imposed sanctions on the Chinese military on Thursday for buying fighter jets and missile systems from Russia, in breach of a sweeping US sanctions law punishing Moscow for meddling in the 2016 US election – inviting protests by both Beijing and Moscow.

The US State Department said it would impose immediate sanctions on China’s Equipment Development Department (EDD), the military branch responsible for weapons and equipment, and its director, Li Shangfu, for engaging in “significant transactions” with Rosoboronexport, Russia’s main arms exporter.

The sanctions are related to China’s purchase of 10 SU-35 combat aircraft in 2017 and S-400 surface-to-air missile system-related equipment in 2018, the State Department said.

They block the Chinese agency, and Li, from applying for export licenses and participating in the US financial system.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, “China is strongly outraged by this unreasonable action of the US and lodged stern representations... We strongly urge the US side to address this mistake and revoke so called sanctions otherwise it will need to shoulder all possible consequences.”

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said the sanctions, which impact plane manufacturer Sukhoi, were “yet another act of unfair competition”, while his deputy Sergei Ryabkov called it playing with fire. “This seems to have turned into some sort of national sport, with yesterday’s anti-Russian measures becoming the 60th since 2011,” Ryabkov said. “It’s foolish to play with fire, because things could get dangerous.”

WASHINGTON/BEIJING/MOSCOW: