China Leads Authoritarian Nations in Evading US Sanctions, Controls: Report Finds

‘China is the decisive enabler of sanctions evasion’ by autocratic countries, the report by the U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission said.

The Liberian-flagged oil tanker Ice Energy (L) transfers crude oil from the Russian-flagged oil tanker Lana (R) (former Pegas), off the shore of Karystos, on the Island of Evia, on May 29, 2022. Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP

A new U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission report published Nov. 14 identified Beijing as the leader of a network of authoritarian states that are building out capabilities to evade U.S. sanctions and export controls at an “industrial scale.”

Sanctions and export controls or restrictions are important economic tools the United States uses to discourage destabilizing behavior and encourage adherence to international norms, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.