The foreign ministry of China restated the country's opposition to the sanctions that will be imposed on Russia in connection to the Ukraine crisis. The statement of opposition came after the heads of seven major economies, or the Group of Seven (G7), convened and decided to implement additional punitive measures.

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According to ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, China had been communicating with all those involved since the Ukraine crisis erupted. Qin also said they have explained their standing and continue to communicate with the G7 countries.

In a daily news briefing, Qin said China has been consistent in opposing sanctions that are threatening. He also said the country believes the sanctions will not help resolve the problem and may even worsen it. In connection to this, China called for a political resolution to Ukraine's problem. Qin encouraged all sides to resolve the issue through negotiations.

US President Barack Obama, who was visiting the Philippines at the time, said they would proclaim the new sanctions for Russia later that day. The US, together with its allies, has reserved more measures to be imposed on Moscow, Obama said.

China, being a key ally of Russia, exercised caution in responding to the issue. When Crimea voted to join Russia, China did not issue a direct comment on the incident. However, China did express its interest to cultivate a "friendly cooperation" with Ukraine. The Asian nation also said it respected Ukraine's independence and sovereignty.

In March, China said that imposing sanctions was not the best method to address this problem. This was said after the Crimean parliament voted to join Russia.

In December, Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovich, visited China in a bid to gain financial aid. Unfortunately, China did not commit any loans for the country. Yanukovich had been ousted from his position after three months of violent protests in the country.