China lashes out at Donald Trump’s claims it reneged on trade deal and vows to ‘safeguard’ its interests

Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Gao Feng says ‘China is committed and has kept its promises, and this has never changed’

Vows that in response to US tariffs, China will safeguard ‘its legitimate rights and interests’

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Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng speaks during a press conference at the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing. Photo: AP

Published: 9:45pm, 9 May 2019Updated: 9:41am, 10 May 2019

China is committed to resolving the trade dispute with the US but is also prepared to defend its interests in the face of any increase in US trade tariffs, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

At a press conference in Beijing, Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng dismissed US President Donald Trump’s claims that China had broken its promises, saying it sincerely has been trying to resolve trade differences with the United States.

“The US has assigned a lot of labels, such as backtracking, going back on one’s word, and so on. Lots of [broken] promises have been foisted on China,” said Gao. “China is committed and has kept its promises, and this has never changed.”

“Negotiation is a process of exchanging opinions and reaching consensus. It is normal to have different views.”

US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the United States will raise tariffs on US$200 billion of Chinese goods. Photo: AFP

Vice-Premier Liu He is expected to hold talks in Washington on Thursday to try to salvage a deal that seems to be falling apart, after US officials accused China of reneging on commitments already made in the trade talks.