US a Threat to Multilateral Trade, Not us: China

New Delhi: Slamming the US with regards to trade practices, China said that it was the western nation that was a hindrance to the multilateral trade system.

“I think everyone has seen that it’s precisely the United States’ unilateralist methods, and the noise it’s made on unilateralism, that are an unprecedented challenge to the multilateral trade system,” Chinese foreign spokesperson Hu Chunying told the media on Monday.

The statement comes barely days after the US said that rules of the World Trade Organization had proved futile in making the Asian giant embrace a market-oriented trade regime. The Donald Trump administration further said that the then administration made a mistake supporting China joining the WTO in 2001.

“Since its accession into the WTO, China has strictly observed the organization's rules, faithfully fulfilled its obligations and made important contributions to the effective functioning and development of the multilateral trading system. Moreover, other countries have benefited from their trade with China,” said Chunying.

The US trade representative’s Notorious Markets List, issued earlier this month, said that certain platforms and markets based in China and elsewhere caused financial losses for US businesses and copyright holders. It added that they could pose safety risks. Trump further said that the US was considering a heavy fine for intellectual property theft.

“Who is really applying international rules in a selective way? Who is wantonly interfering in other countries' internal affairs and even resorting to the threat of force? I believe people around the world can see that clearly and have their fair judgment. We hope the US will discard the cold-war mentality, put the world and China-US relations in perspective, stop distorting China's strategic intention, and work for a shared goal with China. We need to respect each other, focus on cooperation and manage differences in an effort to uphold long-term sound and steady development of China-US relations. This is truly the right choice that serves the interests of China, the US and the world at large,” Chunying said.