BEIJING, April 16. /TASS/. Unilateral US sanctions against Russia should be considered "hegemonic bullying," and the international community rejects such policies more and more, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian stated during a briefing on Friday.

"To wantonly resort to unilateral sanctions or the threat of sanctions in international relations constitute power politics and hegemonic bullying. Such behavior is being rejected more and more by the international community," he said when asked to comment on the recent US sanctions against Russia.

"Russia and the US are both permanent members of the UN Security Council and major powers with important global influence. Both shoulder important responsibilities for international peace and security. We hope relevant parties will resolve differences through consultation and dialogue," he pointed out.

On Thursday, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order to impose a new round of sanctions against Russia. In particular, the US government is prohibiting American companies from acquiring Russian debt obligations issued by the Bank of Russia, the Russian National Wealth Fund or the Russian Ministry of Finance after June 14, 2021. Besides, the US Treasury Department slapped sanctions on 16 organizations and 16 individuals allegedly involved in interfering with America’s elections. In addition, Washington introduced restrictions against eight individuals and legal entities tied to Crimea, including members of the Crimean government.

The United States is also expelling 10 diplomats working at the Russian Embassy in Washington DC. According to the US administration, they "include representatives of Russian intelligence services."

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated earlier that Moscow would act in accordance with the principle of reciprocity in its relations with Washington. He noted that the new US sanctions would not facilitate organizing a meeting between Putin and Biden proposed by Washington.