‘Time to Hold China Accountable’: Bipartisan US Lawmakers Seek Sanctions on Chinese Entities Backing Russia in Ukraine

Bipartisan leaders of the US Congressional committee charged with helping the executive branch confront China risks, urged the Trump administration to penalize China and its entities that provide material support to Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, Kyiv Post’s Washington correspondent reports.

The move comes just days after Ukraine captured two Chinese nationals who were fighting for the Russian army in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. Kyiv claims that China has been supporting the Kremlin’s war of aggression with both manpower and resources, which Beijing denies.

Republican Congressman John Moolenaar, the chairman of House China Select Committee, alongside Democrat lawmaker Jimmy Panetta, on Tuesday introduced a new legislation empowering the U.S. government with a suite of targeted tools to disrupt the growing strategic partnership between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Vladimir Putin’s regime, according to a copy of the draft bill seen by Kyiv Post.

The bill, called No Limits Act of 2025, seeks sanctions on Chinese entities backing Russian invasion of Ukraine, and targets dual-use technology, defense cooperation, and financial transactions that directly contribute to Russia’s military aggression.

Among other measures, the authors also call on the Donald Trump administration to send clear message to Beijing and its military companies operating in Russia, requiring them to divest within 180 days or face consequences, as well as to target other Chinese and Russian firms attempting to evade sanctions.

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“China’s ‘no limits’ embrace of Russia and support for its war in Ukraine does not go unnoticed,” Chairman Moolenaar said when introducing the bill, adding that the new legislation also closes loopholes by expanding the Entity List to capture Chinese subsidiaries trying to evade US sanctions.

Democrat lawmaker Panetta called China’s support for Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine “a serious threat to global stability and democratic values.”

“The United States must take the lead on confronting authoritarian coordination that endangers our allies, our interests, and the future of democracy,” he went on to add.

The authors highlight that while many nations have sanctioned Russia since the start of its war in Ukraine, China has been resolute in its support. The bill requires the US Secretaries of State, Defense and Commerce to take proper actions 90 days after the enactment of the No Limits Act.

Kyiv Post has contacted the State Department for comment but hasn’t heard back by the time of publication. In the meantime, Department’s spokesperson Tammy Bruce last week called China “a major enabler of Russia in the war in Ukraine.”

“China provides nearly 80 percent of the dual-use items Russia needs to sustain the war,” Bruce told reporters on April 8 when responding to Kyiv Post’s questions.

The House China Select Committee was established three years ago to craft strategies and shape legislation to fend off Beijing as has had a rare reputation for bipartisanship. The Senate equivalent of the Committee was once chaired by former Senator Marco Rubio, currently the Secretary of State.