Beijing Urges Washington to Leave China Out of US-Russia Disagreements – Foreign Ministry

BEIJING (Sputnik) - Beijing calls on Washington to avoid damaging China's interests when trying to settle its relations with Russia, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday.

On Monday, US State Department spokesman Ned Price raised concerns over alleged China's attempts to use the Ukrainian crisis "to advance Beijing's long-term interest in its competition with the United States" and warned Beijing that any support extended to Russia, including "helping to avert sanctions imposed by the US and its allies, "would have implications not only for China's relations with the United States, but for "its relationships around the world."

"The Chinese side has repeatedly expressed its position regarding sanctions. Beijing discourages the use of sanctions to settle problems and even more opposes unilateral sanctions that lack international legal grounds," Zhao said when asked if China feared that the US would impose sanctions on Beijing because of its support for Moscow amid the situation in Ukraine.

The practice has proved that sanctions not only fail to solve existing problems, but also create new ones, and hinder the process of a political settlement, he said.

"We call on the US not to harm China's legitimate rights and interests when handling its relations with Russia," Zhao stressed.

China will continue to pursue normal trade and economic cooperation with Russia based on mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, he added.