2 min readUpdated: May 3, 2026 05:35 PM IST
China’s Ministry of Commerce issued an injunction on Saturday against US sanctions imposed on five Chinese refineries that were accused by Washington of purchasing oil from Iran.
The sanctions were announced by the Department of Treasury last month and the action included blocking refiners from the US financial system and seeking to impose penalties on anyone doing business with the firms, Al Jazeera reported.
The five ‘teapot’ refineries receiving the injunction order from China’s Commerce Ministry are:
- Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery
- Shandong Jincheng Petrochemical Group
- Hebei Xinhai Chemical Group
- Shandong Shengxing Chemical
- Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical
The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Hengli Petrochemical in April after accusing the firm of purchasing billions of dollars in Iranian oil. The Trump administration had embargoed other four refineries last year.
China’s Commerce Ministry, while blocking US’ sanctions against the refineries, said the embargo imposed by Washington violate “international law and the basic norms of international relations.”
“The injunction stipulates that the United States cannot recognize, implement, or comply with the sanctions imposed on the aforementioned five Chinese companies,” the ministry said in a statement, Reuters reported.
Beijing’s Commerce Ministry said that it issued a “prohibiting order” which meant that the US sanctions against the refiners “shall not be recognized, enforced, or complied with” and called its order a move to “safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests”.
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“The Chinese government has consistently opposed unilateral sanctions that lack UN authorisation and basis in international law,” the ministry stated.
According to analytics firm Kpler, China imports more than half of its oil from the Middle East and bought more than 80 percent of Iran’s shipped oil last year, Al Jazeera reported.
This comes as US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Beijing on May 14-15 and is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. Both the leaders are expected to address trade disputes and strengthen dialogue.
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