U.S. SLAPS SANCTIONS ON CHINA UNIT

Punitive measures against Chinese military dept for buying Russian jets and missiles

THE United States expanded its sanctions war against Russia to China on Thursday, announcing punitive measures against a Chinese military organisation for buying Russian fighterjets and missiles.

Stepping up pressure on Moscow over its “malign activities”, the US State Department said it was placing financial sanctions on the Equipment Development Department (EDD) of the Chinese Defence Ministry, and its top administrator, for its recent purchase of Russian Sukhoi Su35 fighter-jets and S-400 surface-to-air missiles.

Officials said it was the first time a third country had been punished under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions legislation for dealing with Russia, and signalled the Trump administration’s will to risk relations with other countries in its campaign against Moscow.

They also said the US could consider similar action against other countries taking delivery of Russian fighter-jets and missiles. US’ ally, Turkey, is currently talking with Moscow about an S400 deal.

“The ultimate target of these sanctions is Russia,” a senior administration official said under anonymity.

“CAATSA sanctions in this context are not intended to undermine the defence capabilities of any particular country. They are aimed at imposing costs on Russia in response to its malign activities.”

CAATSA was passed last year as a tool that gives the Trump administration more ways to target Russia, Iran and North Korea with economic and political sanctions.

With regard to Russia, CAATSA arises from the country’s “aggression in Ukraine, annexation of Crimea, cyberintrusions and attacks, interference in the 2016 elections, and other malign activities”, the State Department said.

The legislation allows the government to take action against those companies and individuals who have been placed on the CAATSA blacklist.

EDD and its director, Li Shangfu, became targets after taking delivery over the past year of the jets and missiles from Rosoboronexport, Russia’s main arms export entity already on the CAATSA blacklist for its support of the Assad regime in Syria.

At the same time, the State Department also announced it was placing 33 Russian intelligence and military-linked actors on its sanctions blacklist under CAATSA rules.

All of them — defence-related firms, officers of the GRU military intelligence agency, and people associated with the St Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency disinformation group — have been on previous US sanctions lists and 28 of them have already been indicted by Russia election meddling investigator Robert Mueller.

“We will continue to vigorously implement CAATSA and urge all countries to curtail relationships with Russia’s defence and intelligence sectors, both of which are linked to malign activities worldwide,” the State Department said.