Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said in a regular press conference on Wednesday that the escalation of China-U.S. economic and trade frictions is not in the interests of any party and will drag down the world economy.
Geng stressed that the trade dispute was provoked by the United States. It's the U.S. that first imposed tariffs and repeatedly tried to manipulate the limits of pressure.
"What China has done so far was entirely against the unreasonable behavior of the U.S.," Geng said, adding it is a defensive move towards U.S.' unreasonable demand and pressure.
The response from the Chinese side was "to defend its legitimate rights and interests, and also to maintain multilateralism and a free trade system," Geng said.
Geng noted that as the world's two largest economies, China-U.S. economic and trade relations play a pivotal role in the development of the global economy.
He said that the U.S. should work with China to shoulder its due responsibilities and promote global economic growth. But instead, the U.S. unilaterally initiated a trade war. He emphasized that China has been sincere in its consultations, and the U.S. has violated the consensus multiple times and imposed tariffs on China.
Geng said that China hopes that the U.S. should listen to the rational voices from the international community and return to the right track, working with the Chinese side to reach a mutually beneficial agreement on the basis of mutual respect.
