WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration imposed sanctions on the Chinese military on Thursday for buying fighter jets and missile systems from Russia, in breach of a sweeping U.S. sanctions law punishing Moscow for meddling in the 2016 U.S. election. The U.S. State Department said it would immediately impose sanctions on China's Equipment Development Department (EDD), the branch of the Chinese military responsible for weapons and equipment, and its director, Li Shangfu, for engaging in "significant transactions" with Rosoboronexport, Russia's main arms exporter. “They are instead aimed at imposing costs upon Russia in response to its malign activities.”



In a press release, the US Department of State announced that the sanctions had been invoked under Section 231 of Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 (CAATSA) “for engaging in significant transactions with persons on the [List of Specified Persons]. One U.S. administration official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said the sanctions imposed on the Chinese agency were aimed at Moscow, not Beijing or its military, despite an escalating trade war between the United States and China. A State Department official told CBS News' Kylie Atwood on Thursday that the "ultimate target" of the new sanctions is Russia, not China. An official from the State Department told The Hill that the intent of the sanctions was “to emphasize that the ultimate target of these sanctions is Russia” and “are not intended to undermine the defense capabilities of any particular country.”

Trump signed the executive order on Thursday that allowed the State Department to go forward with applying the penalties against the Equipment Development Department, listing the specific details of the sanctions. “They are instead aimed at imposing costs upon Russia in response to its malign activities.”

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“These transactions involved Russia’s transfer to China of [Russian Sukhoi] Su-35 combat aircraft and S-400 surface-to-air missile system-related equipment.”

China received ten Su-35s in December 2017 and a first batch of S-400 missile system-related equipment in 2018, the statement said. Due to the sanctions placed against it, the Equipment Development Department and Shangfu will no longer be allowed to engage in the U.S. financial system, acquire U.S. export licenses, and access foreign exchanges under U.S. jurisdiction, according to reports from The Hill.
The United States State Department imposes sanctions on the Equipment Development Department, an agency within the military of China, for purchasing Sukhoi Su-35 fighters and S-400 missile system equipment through Rosoboronexport, Russia's main arms export agency.