China will closely follow EU talks on more Russia sanctions, defend rights of Chinese firms

China will closely follow the progress of European Union discussions on an 11th tranche of sanctions against Russia that could result in restrictions in trade with China, Shu Jueting, a commerce ministry spokesperson, said on Thursday in Beijing.

The EU's executive European Commission for the first time has proposed a new tool to limit trade with third countries deemed involved in bypassing the sanctions already in place. "China will firmly safeguard the rights of Chinese enterprises to conduct normal trade," Shu also said.