China opposes EU use of frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine

China has voiced opposition to the European Union’s potential use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Guo Jiakun, said at a briefing.

Responding to questions about whether China’s confidence in the EU’s investment climate might be affected by the plan, Guo reiterated that Beijing consistently opposes unilateral sanctions that violate international law and are not approved by the UN Security Council, Caliber.Az reports via TASS. 

He stressed that China supports creating a positive environment for dialogue and negotiations among all parties involved, emphasising the importance of achieving a political settlement to the crisis in Ukraine rather than escalating tensions.

The Council of the European Union decided on December 12 to freeze Russia’s sovereign assets indefinitely. The European Commission hopes that EU member states will reach agreement at the summit on December 18–19 to expropriate €210 billion in Russian assets, of which €185 billion are frozen in the Euroclear depository in Belgium, to provide financial assistance to Ukraine.

By Sabina Mammadli