China on Friday said it was “outraged” by sanctions imposed on one of their military organizations and its leader by the U.S. over the purchase of fighter jets and missiles from Russia.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the U.S. should cancel the sanctions immediately.
{mosads}“China is strongly outraged by this unreasonable action by the U.S.,” he told reporters at a daily news briefing, according to The Associated Press.
“We strongly urge the U.S. to immediately correct its mistakes and revoke the so-called sanctions. Otherwise, it must take all the consequences.”
The State Department announced Thursday that it was imposing financial restrictions on China’s Equipment Development Department (EDD) and its director, Li Shangfu, for violating the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
CAATSA mandates financial penalties for organizations that engage in significant financial transactions with Russian military entities.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement that the EDD is being punished for the purchase of Su-35 combat aircraft in 2017 and S-400 surface-to-air missile system-related equipment in 2018 from Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport.
These designations mark the first time that the Trump administration has targeted a non-Russian entity for violating sanctions established to punish the Kremlin.