China Threatens ‘Consequences’ if US Does not Withdraw Sanctions

China has threatened the United States with ‘consequences’ if it does withdraw sanctions against the procurement wing of the Chinese military imposed on Thursday.

"We strongly urge the US side to immediately correct its mistake and withdraw the so-called sanctions. Otherwise, the US side must bear the consequences caused thereafter," Beijing said in a statement given to state-owned media.

China's Foreign Ministry on Friday demanded the United States to immediately correct its wrongdoing and withdraw "sanctions" on the Chinese military.

The US State Department announced Thursday that it would impose sanctions on the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission of China and the department's director, alleging that China had violated the "Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA)."

"China is strongly indignant at the unreasonable move on the part of the United States and has lodged stern representations to the US side," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a routine press briefing.

"The US move seriously breached the basic rules of international relations and severely harmed relations between the two countries as well as the two militaries," Geng said.

The US had sanctioned the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission of China for buying Russian Su-35 aircraft and S-400 missile defence systems, both of which had been purchased much before the CAATSA had been passed.

The sanctions appear merely symbolic as the US has no power to block further sales of any military equipment from Russia to China.

China is already involved in a snowballing trade dispute with Washington trigged after the Trump administration imposed tariffs on an estimated US$500 billion worth imports from China.