The U.S. senator said China would feel the heat of his proposal as President Trump’s attitude toward Russia hardens.
China has hit back at what it described as „illegal unilateral sanctions“ after Senator Lindsey Graham said Beijing would be among those to feel the pain of his proposed legislation, which would slap up to a 500 percent secondary tariff on those trading with Russia.
Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, said the legislation has bipartisan support in Congress, and it comes as President Donald Trump threatens new secondary tariffs against Moscow to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to make peace in Ukraine.
Trump touted a 100 percent secondary tariff if Putin does not end the war in 50 days, but Graham’s bill—proposed with Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat—would give the president the power to impose much higher tariffs if he saw fit.
Large-scale Chinese oil purchases have been a vital crutch for the sanctions-hit Russian economy during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.China: Coercion Cannot Solve Ukraine War
Lin Jian, spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said at a press briefing on Tuesday, July 15, that Beijing’s position on ending the Ukraine war has been consistent and clear, and that it can only be achieved through dialogue and negotiation.
