Not bothered by making China unhappy! Before Trump's departure, the U.S. once again imposed sanctions on us! On May 8, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against 10 individuals and companies, including those from mainland China and Hong Kong, citing their assistance in helping Iran's military obtain weapons and raw materials used to manufacture Iran's Shahed drones. The U.S. Treasury emphasized that it is prepared to take economic actions targeting Iran's military industrial base to ensure Iran cannot rebuild its production capacity or extend its influence overseas.
Beyond this, the U.S. warned that the Treasury is ready to act against any foreign companies supporting illicit Iranian commercial activities—including airlines—and may impose secondary sanctions on foreign financial institutions that assist activities conducted in Iran. This could include institutions linked to China’s independent “Teapot” refinery. Clearly, these moves right before Trump’s visit to China serve only one purpose: creating leverage through sanctions.
To the U.S., regardless of whether China is happy or not, Trump’s visit to China is already virtually certain. Any leverage gained is valuable—just so long as it pressures China into concessions. Evidently, the U.S. attitude is arrogant, assuming it can force us to yield through pressure. But such tactics may prove misguided. Previously, we have responded with countermeasures against U.S. sanctions. Now, if the U.S. continues down this path, we certainly won’t tolerate such behavior.
The claim that our companies assisted Iran’s military in obtaining weapons and raw materials for manufacturing Iran’s Shahed drones is merely a pretext fabricated by the U.S. For normal trade between China and Iran, we will not follow the U.S.’s lead. The U.S. keeps launching new moves just before meetings—seeking dialogue while simultaneously provoking friction. However, trying to deal with us using such tricks will certainly not work.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864677794095178/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.