Trump signs bill targeting China’s Russia energy imports days before Xi’s US visit
US President Donald Trump on Friday signed a new sanctions bill into law that targets Russia’s leading energy buyers – China and India – just days before Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington for a state visit. The White House issued a brief statement, saying that the President had “signed into law” the “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026,” which “authorises…
President Donald Trump signed a new sanctions bill into law on Friday, targeting Russia's top energy consumers - China and India - days before Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington for a state visit. The legislation, known as the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, authorizes and expands sanctions against Russia and extends existing sanctions on Iran.
The House of Representatives passed the bill with a vote of 262-159, while the Senate approved it by an overwhelming 86-11 margin. The law gives Trump the power to impose tariffs up to 100 percent on the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas, adding to his tariff-driven foreign policy. The bill also tightens restrictions on Russia's energy and defense sectors, targets its tanker fleet used to avoid existing sanctions, and introduces further measures against Iran.
China reacted negatively to the move, stating that Beijing "carries out economic and trade cooperation based on equality and mutual benefit," and opposes long-arm jurisdiction without UN Security Council authorization. This development coincides with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng's final preparatory talks before Xi's visit next week.
The bill's implications for China and India, as well as the upcoming trade discussions, add another layer of potential friction in the relationship between the two nations and the United States.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
