BEIJING, March 13 — China’s Foreign Ministry criticized a U.S. investigation opened this week into the trade practices of dozens of countries, calling it a “pretext for political manipulation.”
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced the investigationWednesday into what the administration considers “excess capacity and production in manufacturing sectors” in countries and blocs including China, Mexico and the European Union. The move came after the Supreme Court last month struck down tariffs the president had imposed on imports from countries around the world. This could enable the administration to levy tariffs on goods from countries if it determines they discriminate against U.S. companies.
“We oppose any form of unilateral tariff measures,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters on Thursday. “The so-called issue of ‘China’s overcapacity’ does not really exist and should not be used as a pretext for political manipulation.”
This comes just weeks before President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are slated to meet in a high-stakes summit.
It also happened as lawmakers in Beijing approved a roadmap for economic growth that continues the types of practices that have irked some of its partners.
