China US photo:GT

 
The US should make its trade tools conform to the WTO rules as a member state, rather than adopting a different set of practices, in the name of pursuing unilateralism, protectionism and bullying, Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) spokesperson Gao Feng said at a regular press conference on Thursday.

This statement was made in response to the US Trade Representative Office (USTR) on Wednesday labelled China as “state-led, non-market policies and practices,” threatening to pursue new strategies and update its domestic trade tools to deal with China.

“The US labelling China as ‘non-market-oriented’ lacks the basis of international economic and trade rules and is completely inconsistent with the facts,” Gao Feng said, refuting the USTR’s irresponsible statement.

From a global perspective, there are different market economy models. The success of China's economy over the past 40 years is the success of the country’s reform and opening-up policy, as well as the effective combination of the role of market mechanism with the function of the government, which is a very valuable experience for China's economic development, Gao said.

China and the US share huge common interests, and cooperation is the only correct choice for the two countries, the spokesperson noted, hoping that the US side will adopt rational and pragmatic economic and trade policies toward China, meeting China halfway.

“This is not only in line with the fundamental interests of China and the US and the two peoples, but also the common expectations of the international community,” Gao said.

“At present, the economic and trade teams of the two sides are maintaining normal communications,” Gao said.