China and Beijing have formally condemned the United States after US forces seized the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera in the North Atlantic, accusing Washington of breaching international law and threatening global maritime stability. The WP Times reports, citing China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and statements published by Global Times. The reaction from Beijing came after US naval forces boarded and detained the vessel — previously known as Bella 1 — as part of Washington’s widening effort to physically enforce sanctions on Russia’s energy exports.

“The US seizure of a Russian-flagged tanker in the Atlantic represents a serious violation of international law,” said Mao Ning, spokeswoman for China’s Foreign Ministry in Beijing. “China firmly opposes unilateral actions that disrupt international shipping and the lawful order of global trade.”

Beijing’s position

Beijing made clear that China does not recognise the legal basis of the US operation. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, sanctions that are not authorised by the United Nations do not give any country the right to seize commercial vessels in international waters. Officials warned that allowing powerful states to enforce sanctions through naval force risks destabilising global trade routes.

“This kind of behaviour undermines the international maritime system and endangers the safety of global navigation,” Mao said. While Beijing did not comment on the cargo carried by the tanker, it focused its criticism on the principle of using military power to police commercial shipping.

Why the tanker was seized

The Marinera was intercepted as part of a major US crackdown on sanctions evasion linked to Russia’s oil industry. Washington says the vessel was operating inside a network designed to move Russian crude and petroleum products through opaque ownership structures and re-flagged ships.

The seizure took place around 190 nautical miles south of Iceland in international waters, according to Western maritime tracking data.

Who owns the Marinera

The tanker is owned by Burevestmarine, a Russian shipping company controlled by Ilya Bugay, a Crimean-based businessman who also heads Rusneftekhimtorg, a company specialising in oil-product trading. Western authorities allege that companies linked to Bugay have played a role in sustaining Russian oil exports despite sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine. The ship had previously sailed under the name Bella 1 before being re-registered under the Russian flag and renamed Marinera.

Wider sanctions escalation

The seizure comes amid a broader tightening of US policy toward buyers of Russian energy. Former US president Donald Trump has recently backed draft legislation proposing 500% tariffs on countries that continue to purchase Russian oil, gas or uranium — a move that would directly affect China and several other major energy importers. Beijing has repeatedly rejected such pressure, arguing that energy trade should not be weaponised for geopolitical purposes.

US Southern Command has also confirmed the detention of another vessel, Sophia, in the Caribbean Sea. The tanker was reportedly operating without any national registration — a common method used in sanctions-busting oil shipments. China has not issued a statement on that case. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the Marinera case raises broader issues beyond Russia, including the application of sanctions to commercial shipping operating in international waters.

China is the world’s largest trading nation by volume, with the majority of its imports and exports transported by sea, according to international trade data. Beijing has repeatedly stated that freedom of navigation is a core principle of global commerce and maritime law.

In a statement cited by Global Times, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the seizure of foreign-flagged vessels under unilateral sanctions, without United Nations authorisation, falls outside established international legal frameworks.

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