China will continue to protect the legitimate rights of all foreign companies in the country amid the US crackdown on Chinese technology firms such as Huawei, a Chinese official said on Thursday.

When asked about whether China will impose certain restrictions on US tech giant Apple Inc during a regular press conference on Thursday, Gao Feng, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), said that all foreign firms' legitimate rights will be protected by the Chinese government.  

"We will unswervingly deepen reform, expand openness, and strive to create a stable, transparent, fair, and predictable first-class business environment globally for all types of enterprises," Gao said.

The comments also come amid escalating trade tensions between the world's two largest economies, and the US Commerce Department added Huawei - the largest telecoms equipment provider and second-largest smart phone vendor in the world - to the Entity List.

A group of US high-tech companies, including Google, Intel and Qualcomm, also said they would move to cut off their supplies and services to Huawei, casting a shadow over the global supply chain and affecting the future of technology. 

Trade talks between China and the US have been delayed. Earlier, US President Donald Trump said earlier that the US "isn't ready" to make a trade deal with China while on a state visit to Japan.

Talking about the latest progress of the trade talks, the spokesperson took a firm stance on Thursday stressing that China will not compromise on its principles for a trade deal and said that "China bears no blame for a delay of the trade negotiations between the two sides. It's the fluctuating attitude of the US that hinders the good atmosphere for trade negotiations between the two."

The official further noted that the progress of China-US trade negotiations depends to a large extent on the attitude and sincerity of the US side as consultations are only possible on the basis of equal treatment and mutual respect.

Global Times