Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying has announced that China stands firmly against unilateral sanctions mechanisms and is planning on keeping trade relations with Iran in accordance with international agreements.
"China and Iran unwaveringly maintain normal trade and economic ties. China will continue to cooperate with Iran adhering to its international obligations," the spokeswoman said.
She strongly slammed the practice of imposing sanctions on the basis of domestic legislature and assured that Beijing would protect the implementation of the Iran deal provisions.
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US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that the US would withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an international agreement reached in 2015 by Iran, the United States, Russia, France, China, the UK, Germany and the EU. The deal was designed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and to ensure the peaceful nature of its nuclear program, lifting economic sanctions against the country in return.
Trump has consistently been a harsh opponent of the Iran deal, calling it "defective at its core." He demanded to "fix" it, threatening to withdraw the US from the deal and to re-impose economic sanctions. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attempted to convince Trump to stick to the deal, but these efforts ultimately failed.
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The re-imposed US sanctions will affect any company doing business with Tehran, putting European, Chinese and Russian firms at risk. European nations are currently considering options to counter possible US sanctions against their companies, such as implementing the "blocking statute" from 1996. They have also reaffirmed their commitment to the provisions of the Iran deal.
