China targets 2 Lithuanian banks in response to new EU sanctions
China banned transactions with two Lithuanian banks after the EU sanctioned Chinese banks for facilitating digital asset transfers that undermine sanctions on Russia, effective August 13, 2025.
- China’s Ministry of Commerce announced on Wednesday that it imposed countermeasures on UAB Urbo Bankas and AB Mano Bankas, effective August 13, 2025.
- Last month, the EU sanctioned two Chinese banks—Suifenhe Rural Commercial Bank and Heihe Rural Commercial Bank—effective Aug 9.
- China’s Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law now prohibits Chinese organizations and individuals from transactions or cooperation with the two banks, a ministry spokesperson said, stating the measures ‘seriously violate international law and the basic norms governing international relations.’
- In its statements, China called on the EU to 'immediately cease its wrong practice' and to cherish cooperation, urging correction of wrongful actions.
- This dispute risks further straining China-EU relations in recent years, amid tensions over Russia’s war, trade issues, and Lithuania’s support for Taiwan.
37 Articles
37 Articles
China Hits EU Banks Over Bloc’s Russian Sanctions Package
Beijing targeted two Lithuanian banks on Wednesday in retaliation for the European Union’s latest Russian sanctions that affected two rural Chinese banks near the China-Russia border. In an order published in state media Xinhua, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said it’s adding Lithuania-based UAB Urbo Bankas and AB Mano Bankas to its list of sanctioned entities under the regime’s Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law. An MOC spokesperson said the EU…
The limitations particularly impacted two Chinese financial institutions because of their collaboration with Russia. In reaction to EU measures, China chose to apply reprisal sanctions.
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