China: US should respect international trade rules

This article is more than 12 months old

Apr 03, 2017 06:00 am

BEIJING: China called on the US to respect international trade rules and improve cooperation and dialogue in reaction to two new orders by US President Donald Trump calling for an investigation into trade abuses.

Any US trade enforcement measures should comply with generally-accepted international trade rules and differences between the two countries should be handled properly, an unidentified spokesman for China's Ministry of Commerce said on Saturday.

"China is willing to cooperate with the United States on a basis of equality and mutual benefit," the spokesman said in a speech released on the ministry's website.

Mr Trump signed executive orders last Friday aimed at investigating possible abuses causing large US trade deficits and stopping import duty evasion.

He will host Chinese President Xi Jinping this Thursday and Friday at his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Florida, where trade is expected to be a central talking point as well as North Korea and China's ambitions in the South China Sea.

Mr Trump last week tweeted that the meeting "will be a very difficult one", citing massive trade deficits and American job losses. - REUTERS