Yes, they can. But they would go against UN decisions, if they do that. And yes, while I know that they’re sovereign countries and the UN can’t stop them, international diplomacy is complicated and fragile.
Not only that, but these sanctions need international coordination to be effective. If it’s just a couple countries not dealing with them, nothing will happen. They’ll just do business with someone else.
I just hope we can drop the UN altogether and create something else in its place. Something more democratic, where votes count. Having the most sanguinary war machine of a country having the right to veto peace talks is completely insane.
They might be a clown country, but did they deserve to be sanctioned by China in this matter?
I mean, sanctioning the US is usually the answer to most of the world’s problems. But each case should be evaluated individually.