The UK’s fresh round of sanctions targeting military suppliers is the first to include Chinese firms, with three Hong Kong-registered firms, Asia Pacific Links Limited, Sinno Electronics Co., Limited, and Xinghua Co., Limited, among the 46 individuals and entities sanctioned on Wednesday. The government cited the companies for supplying sanctioned goods critical for Russia’s war efforts. Other businesses in Belarus, Serbia, Turkey, the UAE, and Uzbekistan were also targeted in the sanctions.
These sanctions come as Foreign Secretary David Cameron travelled to the United States to reaffirm the allies’ relationship and their “unwavering support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.”
Sinno Electronics Co., Limited was previously sanctioned by the US Treasury Department for its relationship with Radioavtomaika, a U.S.-sanctioned Russian defense procurement firm specializing in procuring foreign items for Russia’s defense industry and evading sanctions.
A report published by British defense think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) details the connections that Sinno and other Chinese companies have to supplying Russian defense systems. The report states that Sinno was exporting large volumes of semiconductors and microelectronics to Russian companies between 2017 and 2021, and another Chinese company linked to Sinno shipped over $3 million worth of goods to Russia between April 2018 and June 2021.
Asia Pacific Links and Xinghua were also noted as primary suppliers to SMT-iLogic, a U.S.-designated company that ships microelectronics to Russia. Furthermore, several other companies with connections to Xinghua’s owner have also been sanctioned by the United States.
The Chinese Embassy in London expressed that the UK’s action is a violation of international law and the sanctions threaten the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies. They called on the British government to “immediately rectify its wrongdoing” and revoke the sanctions, stating that they will take “firm and strong measures” otherwise.
Sanctions minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan stated that the new measures will “hit Putin where it hurts, damaging Russian defense systems, and cracking down on illegal supply chains” propping up Russia’s war machine. The Russian Embassy, on the other hand, claimed the sanctions are illegitimate and labeled the move as futile and an act of poorly staged drama.