China has instructed its companies to disregard US sanctions targeting five refiners for purchasing Iranian crude oil. Beijing deems the US action a violation of international law, signaling a strong pushback ahead of a presidential summit.

China ordered companies to ignore US sanctions against five oil refiners accused of buying Iranian crude, an unprecedented pushback against American financial measures less than two weeks before a presidential summit. The US action “violates international law and the basic norms of international relations”, China’s Ministry of Commerce said on Saturday. The sanctions cover a refinery in Dalian owned by Shanghai-listed Hengli Petrochemical, along with four independent “teapot” refineries –...