China slams U.S. efforts to politicize trade

No matter how the United States frames the narrative on China-U.S. economic and trade relations, it cannot conceal its attempts to politicize and weaponize economic and trade issues to contain and suppress China, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday.

Her remarks follows repeated comments by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that China's economy is overly dependent on exports and that the U.S. seeks fair and reciprocal trade.

Constantly claiming to be at "a disadvantageous position" and pursuing absolute reciprocal trade contradicts basic economic principles and underestimates the discernment of American businesses and consumers, Mao told a daily news briefing.

The Government Work Report of the State Council this year has made expanding domestic demand in an all-round way a policy priority, Mao said.

She emphasized that China does not deliberately pursue trade surpluses, saying that the current state of China-U.S. trade is the result of market dynamics, influenced by various factors such as the economic structures of both countries, trade policies, and the status of the U.S. dollar.

The essence of China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation is mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, she said, adding that if only one side benefited while the other suffered, such cooperation could not have progressed to its current state.

Mao pointed out that the U.S. benefits significantly from trade with China and it also maintains a substantial surplus in services trade with the country.

Exports from U.S. companies operating in China are counted as part of China's surplus and China's high-quality, competitively priced exports enhance the purchasing power of American consumers and create numerous jobs in transportation, wholesale, retail, and e-commerce sectors of the U.S., she added.

Despite initiating trade wars for years, the U.S. trade deficit has not decreased but has instead risen, reaching $918.4 billion last year, she said.

Noting that trade wars and tariff battles ultimately harm both oneself and others, Mao urged the U.S. to learn from these lessons and change its approach.