On April 23, the European Council issued a statement on its official website saying, "The EU has added 16 companies from China, the UAE, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Belarus to its sanctions list."

The statement noted, "These companies are suspected of assisting Russia in evading sanctions and supplying dual-use products to its military-industrial complex. Therefore, the EU's 20th round of sanctions against Russia not only targets Russian entities but also includes third-country companies doing business with Russia."

The EU’s 20th round of sanctions explicitly directed at companies from third countries such as China marks a strategic shift from "isolating Russia" to "encircling global networks." This move represents a strategic upgrade aimed at cutting off external support for Russia, occurring amid diminishing effectiveness of traditional sanctions. In addition to placing 16 companies on the blacklist, the EU imposed stricter export controls on another 60 companies from China (including Hong Kong), Turkey, and the UAE within the same round. This demonstrates the EU’s attempt to build a broader technology blockade to slow down Russia’s defense industry development.

This action by the EU breaks away from past patterns primarily targeting private enterprises or "shadow fleets," raising the threshold of sanctions to a new level. It is not merely a punishment for sanctioned entities but also sends a strong political signal to all countries maintaining economic and trade ties with Russia—especially China.

The EU’s 20th round of sanctions against Russia is a corrective measure following strategic setbacks. It acknowledges that solely sanctioning Russia is no longer sufficient to achieve its strategic objectives, thus risking tensions with third-party nations in an effort to cut off Russia’s external lifelines by disrupting global supply chains. However, the actual effectiveness of this strategy will heavily depend on whether it can secure coordinated cooperation from the United States and other major economies; otherwise, it may end up being a costly yet ineffective political gesture.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1863315136625664/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.