A senior Biden administration official said the actions by the Chinese companies were at odds with what the Chinese government has said privately about its intentions.
The Chinese embassy spokesperson in Washington, Liu Pengyu, repeated China’s opposition to sanctions and said it was handling the export of military products responsibly.
“The US makes false accusations against China’s normal trade with Russia, just as it continues to pour unprecedented military aid into Ukraine,” the spokesperson said. “This is (the) typical double standard, and extremely hypocritical and irresponsible.”
The Chinese companies could not be immediately reached out of office hours and the Russian government also could not be immediately be reached for comment.
The moves come as deepening cooperation between Russia and other countries, including China, has thwarted Washington’s effort to disable Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, which grinds on as Moscow’s forces advance in the east.
US President Joe Biden is headed to Germany for talks with European allies set to include discussion of Ukraine’s war strategy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pushing a “victory plan” that he hopes will end Russia’s more than 2-1/2-year-old invasion.
Biden has sought to ease tensions with China even while rebuking its government for supporting Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Oct 22-24 BRICS summit in Russia, and Washington is watching for signs of further cooperation, according to senior Biden administration officials.
