Latest US sanctions package on Russia will include Chinese companies

The Biden administration says the latest U.S. sanctions against Russia will include Chinese companies found to have violated bans on exports to Moscow.

The move was made public Thursday by Victoria Nuland, the under secretary of State for political affairs, who also an official announcement will be made Friday – the one-year anniversary of Russia having declared war on Ukraine. 

"We will also be putting other constraints on entities, Chinese-based or Chinese subs of entities in Europe, which we think are active in evading sanctions," she said at the Washington Post Live event.

Biden officials suspect the the communist-led Chinese government is providing lethal aid to Russia.

“We know that the Russians have consistently been asking the Chinese for weapons," Nuland said. "We also know that some Chinese companies, whether the government is witting or not, have been sneaking up to the edge and trying to provide some support."

Last month, the U.S. sanctioned a Chinese company Spacety for providing geolocation technology to a Russian company that the U.S. said is supporting the Wagner Group, a private Russian mercenary company fighting along with the Russians against Ukraine. 

Nuland said that the sanctions are targeting entities that the U.S. have found are evading existing sanctions against Russia.