On May 8-9, Gong Jiong, an expert at China Forum under Tsinghua University’s Center for International Security and Strategy and vice president for research, UIBE Israel, spoke to Sky News Arabia and Asharq News on the Financial Times report about the EU’s proposed sanctions against seven Chinese companies accused of selling microelectronic products to Russia that could be used in weapons.

The Chinese government has made it clear that it will not sell weapons to either side in the Ukraine conflict, Professor Gong stressed, refuting the ungrounded allegations. It is important to first identify whether these companies understood and were able to control the end use of the products, which are chips for civilian use, and whether the products were ultimately sold to the Russian military or relevant industries, said Gong. The Chinese government resolutely opposes unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction against China without any basis in international law and without the authorization of the UN Security Council, and is committed to safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises. He believes it is unlikely that the EU will implement the proposed sanctions, as it requires the unanimous consent of all 27 member states of the bloc.

Sky News Arabia is an Arabic 24-hour rolling news channel broadcast mainly in the Middle East and North Africa.

Asharq News is a 24/7, multiplatform Arabic news service based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.