China invokes anti-sanctions law to counter US blacklisting of refiners

China has, for the first time, invoked a law targeting companies that comply with foreign sanctions it rejects, escalating a pushback against the U.S. blacklisting of several oil refineries over purchases of Iranian crude.



On Saturday, the Ministry of Commerce ordered companies not to comply with U.S. sanctions against five refiners, including recently designated Hengli Petrochemical, citing a law that allows Beijing to retaliate against entities enforcing sanctions it deems unlawful.



Washington and other Western governments have sanctioned a number of Chinese firms for trading Iranian or Russian oil, drawing repeated criticism from Beijing.



Hengli Petrochemical has denied U.S. allegations that it traded with Iran. Inependent refiners in China are the main buyers of Iran's oil exports.



The move comes less than two weeks before U.S. President Donald Trump is due to visit Beijing, highlighting China's willingness to deploy its economic pressure tools despite a trade truce with Washington.



"Any company considering skirting U.S. sanctions should think twice," a White House official told Reuters without elaborating on the Chinese order.