When asked by a foreign reporter to comment on the US Department of the Treasury's announcement of sanctions against nine individuals and entities from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) for allegedly providing support to the Iranian military in procuring weapons, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday that "we will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and nationals."

Lin added that "as we have repeatedly made clear, China firmly opposes illegal unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law or are not authorized by the UN Security Council."

Global Times