Beijing Defies Washington: China Issues Rare Injunction to Block US Sanctions on 5 Major Refineries Ahead of Trump Visit

2 min readMay 3, 2026 05:21 PM China’s Minry of Commerce issued an injunction on Saturday against US sanctions imposed on five Chinese refineries who were accused the Washington of purchasing oil from Iran.
The sanctions were announced the Department of Treasury last month which blocked the refiners from the US financial system and sought to impose penalties on anyone doing business with the firms, Al Jazeera reported.
The five ‘teapot’ refineries receiving the injunction order from China’s Commerce Minry are:

Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery
Shandong Jincheng Petrochemical Group
Hebei ​Xinhai Chemical Group
Shandong ⁠Shengxing Chemical
Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical

The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Hengli Petrochemical in April after accusing the firm of purchasing billions of dollars in Iranian oil. The Trump adminration had embargoed other four refineries last year.
China’s Commerce Minry, while blocking US’ sanctions against the refineries, said the embargo imposed Washington violate “international law and ‌the ⁠basic norms of international relations.”
“The injunction stipulates that the United States cannot recognize, ​implement, or comply ​with the ⁠sanctions imposed on the aforementioned five Chinese companies,” the minry said in a statement, Reuters reported.
Beijing’s Commerce Minry said that it issued a “prohibiting order” which meant that the US sanctions against the refiners “shall not be recognized, enforced, or complied with” and called its order a move to “safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests”.Story continues below this ad
“The Chinese government has consently opposed unilateral sanctions that lack UN authorisation and basis in international law,” the minry stated.
According to analytics firm Kpler, China imports more than half of its oil from the Middle East and bought more than 80 percent of Iran’s shipped oil last year, Al Jazeera reported.
This comes as US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Beijing on May 14-15 and is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. Both the leaders are expected to address trade disputes and strengthen dialogue.
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