China urges US to ‘immediately correct erroneous’ trade practices

Washington’s trade investigations target 60 economies, including China. Read more at straitstimes.com.

BEIJING – Beijing on March 16 said it has “lodged representations” and urged Washington to “correct its erroneous ways” after the US launched new trade probes last week, with negotiators from both countries meeting in Paris.

Washington’s trade investigations target 60 economies, including China, and will look into “failures to take action on forced labour” and whether these burden or restrict US commerce.

Those investigations came a day after a separate set of US probes centred on excess industrial capacity that target 16 trading partners, including China, which Beijing’s Foreign Ministry criticised as “political manipulation”.

“We urge the US side to immediately correct its erroneous ways, meet China halfway... and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiations,” Beijing’s Commerce Ministry said in a statement.

The latest round of investigations “is extremely unilateral, arbitrary and discriminatory”, it said, accusing Washington of “attempting to construct trade barriers”.

Trade officials from both countries met in Paris on March 15 for talks that Washington has said would last for two days.