China pushes back on Trump's 'so-called' economic pressure over Ukraine crisis

US president urged Europe to stop buying Russian oil, put economic pressure on China 'for funding Russia's war efforts'

ISTANBUL

China on Friday pushed back on US President Donald Trump "so-called" economic pressure over Ukraine crisis.

"China is not the creator of or a party to the crisis. We firmly oppose using China as an excuse, and firmly oppose the act of imposing so-called economic pressure on China," Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a conference in Beijing.

China's position is "objective and fair" on the Ukraine crisis, Guo added.

US President Donald Trump has urged European leaders to stop buying Russian oil to pressure Moscow to end its war on Ukraine, according to a White House official. He said economic pressure should be applied on China "for funding Russia's war efforts."