Exclusive | Beijing ‘won’t target’ US firms in China to hit back at US President Donald Trump’s trade threats
The Chinese authorities are keen to reassure foreign businesses in China and retaliation against them has ‘never been on the cards’, government sources say
The Chinese government has no plan to target US firms in China in response to Washington’s trade threats because it would run counter to Beijing’s goal of attracting foreign investment, two Chinese government sources said.
The sources said the authorities were trying to reassure foreign businesses in China amid fears that Beijing could hit back at US President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Chinese goods by harassing American firms or depriving them of commercial opportunities.
“A big worry for China is that foreign investors are opting to leave the country,” one source said. “The option of targeting US firms in China has never been on the cards.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s round table with foreign business executives on Thursday and his promises that China’s market would remain open “sent a very clear message from the top leadership” that US firms were still welcome, the source added.
Among the executives at the meeting were David Abney of UPS, Pfizer’s Albert Bourla, Arnold Donald from Carnival, Cargill’s David MacLennan, Hamid Moghadam of Prologis, Thomas Pritzker of Hyatt and David Solomon from Goldman Sachs.