China has expressed strong opposition and implied countermeasures against Japan's decision to sanction entities suspected of supplying Russia with items that can be converted for military use.
The Japanese government agreed at a Cabinet meeting on Friday to add 10 firms to a list of entities it bans from exporting goods from Japan. The firms are based in countries including China.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian spoke about the decision at a news conference later in the day.
He said China opposes what he called Japan's unilateral sanctions that are not based on international law. He said his country engages in proper economic and trade cooperation with Russia based on equality and reciprocity, and that is China's legitimate right. He added that China will take necessary measures to protect its legal rights.
The Group of Seven countries share concerns that China is providing certain chemicals, electronic components and other dual-use items to Russia to aid its invasion of Ukraine.
The United States has also announced sanctions on Chinese firms.