China warns U.S. against harming its rights, interests over Ukraine

China on Wednesday urged the United States to take its concerns seriously when dealing with the Ukraine issue and relations with Russia, warning against any move that could harm Chinese rights and interests.

Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, made the remarks in response to a question about White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki's comments on Western sanctions against Russia.

Psaki said on Monday that the U.S. has means to "take steps" if China does not abide by the sanctions.

"Sanctions are never fundamentally effective means to solve problems," Zhao said at a regular press briefing. "China firmly opposes all forms of unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction by the United States."

China will take all necessary measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and individuals, he said.

The U.S. and other Western countries imposed a series of sanctions on Moscow after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24.

The White House said on Tuesday that U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order banning imports of Russian oil, liquefied natural gas and coal to the U.S., while the European Commission published plans to cut EU dependency on Russian gas by two-thirds this year and end its reliance on Russian supplies of the fuel "well before 2030."

Commenting on these moves, Zhao said peace and security cannot be achieved through sanctions, which will only cause severe difficulties to the economy and people's life in the countries involved and intensify division and confrontation.

"China and Russia have maintained sound energy cooperation," he said, adding that the two sides will continue to engage in normal trade cooperation in oil and gas as well as other areas.