China calls on US to stop 'weaponizing' trade issues

TASS reported on February 22 that Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the US, told the news agency that Beijing called on Washington to stop politicizing and "weaponizing" economic and trade cooperation issues.

“China urges the US side to stop politicizing and weaponizing economic and trade issues, and create necessary conditions for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries,” he said, commenting on Washington’s new measures to restrict Chinese investment in US strategic industries.

“Over-extending the concept of national security and deliberately obstructing normal economic and trade exchanges for political purposes runs counter to the principles of market economy, fair competition and free trade, values ​​that the United States has always claimed to support,” Liu Pengyu stressed. He noted that “such moves also destabilize the global supply chain and industrial chain and do not benefit any party.”

According to the embassy spokesperson, China-US economic and trade cooperation benefits both sides and the people of the two countries. The diplomat added that Beijing will closely monitor developments and resolutely safeguard its rights and interests.

On February 21, US President Donald Trump signed a national security memorandum. According to a White House statement, the memorandum aims to attract foreign investment and protect US national security interests, including countering threats from China.