Chinese names added to EU sanctions list over Russia’s war in Ukraine

At a meeting in Brussels on Monday, foreign ministers from the bloc’s 27 member states greenlit a package that included “fully fledged listings” for seven Chinese citizens and companies.

It marks the first time such a punishment has been used in relation to China’s relations with Russia. In previous sanctions packages, mainland Chinese and Hong Kong-registered entities have been added to a blacklist banning them from buying sensitive goods from the EU, but had not been added to the sanctions register.

The new list of those sanctioned includes one individual and two entities for helping companies linked to the Russian military circumvent EU sanctions.

The individual was named as Sophia Li Xiaocui a businesswoman who is accused of assisting the sanctioned Russian company Unimatik – described in the legal documentation as a “major actor in the Russian military-industrial complex – source export-controlled goods made in Europe.

The two companies named under this category are linked to Li. They are ARCLM International Trading Co, a Hong Kong-based business, and Shijiazhuang Hanqiang Technology Co, based on the mainland.