China said late on Monday that it opposed “any illicit unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction” after U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media that nations doing business with Iran will face a 25% tariff on U.S. trade.
“China’s position against the indiscriminate imposition of tariffs is consistent and clear. Tariff wars and trade wars have no winners, and coercion and pressure cannot solve problems,” a spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Washington said on X.
“China firmly opposes any illicit unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction, and will take all necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”
This comes as Trump threatened any country that does business with Iran will face a tariff rate of 25% on any trade with the U.S.
“Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, adding that, “this Order is final and conclusive.”
China–Iran Oil Ties
China, the world’s largest crude importer, is the main buyer of oil from OPEC producer Iran, leaving Beijing uniquely exposed to any supply disruption from conflict in the Middle East, according to Reuters.
Beijing, is also the biggest buyer of oil from Venezuela and a top importer of oil from Russia, all of which have been facing various Western sanctions in recent years.
According to data from analytics firm Kpler for 2025, China buys more than 80% of Iran’s shipped oil. Last year, China purchased on average 1.38 million barrels per day of Iranian oil, which represented about 13.4% of the total 10.27 million bpd of oil it imported by sea.
Chinese independent refiners, known as teapots, are the main buyers of Iranian crude, accounting for roughly a quarter of Chinese refinery capacity.
Meanwhile, China’s big state oil companies have refrained from buying Iranian oil since 2018/2019, traders and experts have said.
