PTI
Beijing, Updated At : 05:58 PM Apr 27, 2026 IST
China on Monday said it opposes and condemns “illegal violence” in a brief reaction to a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner attended by US President Donald Trump.
“The shooting incident has come to China’s attention,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a media briefing when asked about Saturday’s attempt by a gunman to storm the dinner, which was described as an apparent attempt to target Trump. “We oppose and condemn illegal violence,” Lin said.
Armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives, the gunman, identified as Cole Allen from California, stormed a security checkpoint outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, exchanged fire with Secret Service agents and forced Trump and dozens of senior officials to be evacuated from the event.
Lin also strongly condemned the US sanctioning one of China’s largest private oil refiners over its links to Iran. Reports from Washington said the US announced on Friday it would sanction Hengli Petrochemicals in China’s port city of Dalian. The measure blocks the company and others that transport Iranian oil from accessing the US financial system.
Hengli Petrochemicals is among dozens of Chinese buyers of Iran’s oil. China, which has shared strategic ties with Iran in recent years, was the largest buyer of Iranian oil, disregarding US sanctions.
