For the first time ever, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) has invoked its “blocking statute

For the first time ever, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) has invoked its “blocking statute,” prohibiting all domestic entities from recognizing, enforcing, or complying with US sanctions imposed on 5 Chinese petrochemical companies for their alleged involvement in the Iranian oil trade. 中國商務部首次援引其「阻斷法」，禁止所有國內實體承認、執行或遵守美國對五家中國石化公司因涉嫌參與伊朗石油貿易而實施的制裁。

￭ 這項「阻斷法」是一項旨在抵銷外國法律域外效力的法律機制，於2021年通過，但此前從未被援引。
￭ 中國商務部表示，美國的制裁違反了「國際法和國際關係基本準則」，並指出在經過全面評估並確認美國的制裁構成不當域外適用後，才決定援引這項「阻斷法」。

￭ The “blocking statute,” a legal mechanism designed to neutralise the extraterritorial reach of foreign laws, was passed in 2021 but never invoked until now.

￭ China’s MOFCOM said the US sanctions violate “international law and the basic norms of international relations,” and that the decision to invoke the “blocking statute” was made after conducting a comprehensive assessment and confirming that the US sanctions constitute improper extraterritorial application.