Beijing rejects secondary sanctions after the Russia and Iran act becomes law

China's commerce ministry says it opposes measures aimed at third countries and reserves the right to respond.

Assembled by Claude from 7 sources at 7 outlets · Saturday, September 19, 2026, Evening edition, 5:12 PM EDT · no human byline

What happened

China rejected so-called secondary sanctions aimed at third countries following the signing into US law of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 dimsumdaily.hk. A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce made the remarks on Saturday in response to the new law chinadaily.com.cn.

Beijing has consistently opposed unilateral sanctions and so-called secondary sanctions, the spokesperson said seattletimes.combloomberg.com. China consistently opposes imposing secondary sanctions on other countries on the pretext of their involvement with a third party, and reserves the right to take measures of its own globaltimes.cn. The ministry also urged Washington to keep trade ties steady dimsumdaily.hkchinadaily.com.cn.

Three separate accounts carried the same formulation from the ministry, which points to a prepared position rather than an off-the-cuff reply seattletimes.combreakingnews.iebloomberg.com. The statement was issued on Saturday in response to the new law chinadaily.com.cndimsumdaily.hk.

Why it matters to investors

The law reaches beyond Russia. Among other measures, it authorises secondary sanctions against the five largest buyers of Russian crude oil and natural gas bignewsnetwork.com. That is a design that puts the purchasers, and the banks and refiners that finance and process those barrels, inside the sanctions perimeter rather than outside it bignewsnetwork.comglobaltimes.cn.

Beijing's objection is to the legal principle as much as to this statute. Its stated position is that measures taken against one country on account of its dealings with another lack authorisation and should not be applied globaltimes.cnseattletimes.com. The commerce ministry paired that objection with an appeal to keep the trading relationship stable, which is the part directed at markets rather than at lawyers dimsumdaily.hk.

What to watch

The timing is the story. Beijing registered its opposition in advance of a high-stakes meeting in Washington between the two sides breakingnews.ie. The statement therefore functions as a marker laid down before talks rather than as a retaliation breakingnews.iechinadaily.com.cn.

Two things follow. The first is whether the administration designates any of the five largest buyers named in the law's reach, which would turn an authorisation into an enforcement action bignewsnetwork.com. The second is what China does with the right to respond that it has reserved, since the ministry stopped short of announcing any countermeasure when it objected globaltimes.cnbloomberg.com. Until one of those happens, the exposure sits in the statute rather than in any specific designation bignewsnetwork.comdimsumdaily.hk. The five largest buyers of Russian crude oil and natural gas are the group the statute reaches bignewsnetwork.com.

Sources

1. bignewsnetwork.com: Beijing slams new US sanctions against Russia - Big News Network.com (2026-09-19)
2. seattletimes.com: China slams U.S. law tightening sanctions on Russia and Iran - The Seattle Times (2026-09-19)
3. breakingnews.ie: China opposes tighter US measures on Russia in advance of high-stakes Washington meeting (2026-09-19)
4. chinadaily.com.cn: China opposes ' secondary sanctions ', urges US to maintain stable trade ties (2026-09-19)
5. globaltimes.cn: China opposes US secondary sanctions under new Russia-Iran law, reserves right to take ... (2026-09-19)
6. bloomberg.com: China Slams US Law Tightening Sanctions on Russia and Iran - Bloomberg (2026-09-19)
7. dimsumdaily.hk: China rejects ' secondary sanctions ' and urges United States to keep trade ties steady (2026-09-19)