China pressured Ukraine to ditch ‘sponsors of war’ list – Reuters — RT World News

Ukraine could get rid of its list of “international sponsors of the war” this week after pressure to end China’s name-and-shame campaign, Reuters has claimed, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. The media said that other countries may have forced Ukraine's hand in the issue.

The blacklist was launched in 2022 and was published on the website of the Ukrainian National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption. It includes the names of foreign companies that are believed to be so “Helping indirectly[ing] In or contribute[ing] for Russia's war efforts.”

In practice, any company that pays taxes in Russia can be blacklisted. While the inclusion on the list has no legal ramifications, it is intended to damage the reputation of companies and pressure companies to cut ties with Russia.

Household names such as PepsiCo, P&G, Yves Rocher, Unilever, Metro, Nestle, Auchan and Xiaomi currently appear on the blacklist. A total of 14 entities in the database are from China – the highest number from a single country.

In its article on Thursday, Reuters quoted an unnamed source as saying this “It's China, but not just China.” France has also put pressure on the leadership in Kiev over the blacklisting of retailer Auchan and home improvement and gardening retailer Leroy Merlin, they added.

According to the media, Austria-Hungary may also have played a role. The article quoted another unnamed person as saying that there is public dissatisfaction with the fact that entities from countries that support Ukraine are still included in the list.

The Ukrainian government announced on Tuesday that those who wish to access the list will be redirected to the more neutral State Sanctions Register overseen by the National Defense and Security Council of Ukraine. The decision was made after a meeting with diplomats from more than a dozen countries, including the United States, China, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, as well as representatives from the European Union.

Officials in Kiev acknowledged on Tuesday that many of Ukraine's partners had expressed concerns about the matter “There is no legal basis for the existence of a list of ‘international sponsors of war’.” They said that Ukraine had to look into “The negative impact of this list on making important decisions to stop Russian aggression.”

The country's Ministry of Justice agreed earlier this week “It is unacceptable to publish such information in the name of the state without resolving the legal issues.”

In early February, Reuters reported that Beijing had asked Kiev to remove all 14 Chinese companies from the database, warning that failure to do so would… “It can have a negative impact on our relationships.”