China looks to Amcham Shanghai to lobby against US tariffs
- Deputy foreign minister Xie Feng calls on American business leaders to ‘exert active influence’ on Washington to end trade war
- Xie stresses need for greater cooperation between China and US, plays up Beijing’s reform efforts according to foreign ministry statement
According to a statement released on Sunday by China’s foreign ministry, Xie stressed the need for greater cooperation between China and the US, likening competition between the major powers to a “track and field competition rather than a gladiator duel to the death”.
“US businesses are stakeholders in cooperation between China and the US,” he said. “We hope that everyone will exert active influence to push the US government to cancel its tariffs on China, to stop its ‘decoupling’ efforts, and to stop unreasonably suppressing Chinese businesses, providing a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese businesses in the US.”
Xie also played up China’s reform efforts, including its dual circulation strategy – which aims to reduce economic reliance on overseas demand to keep its vast manufacturing apparatus running – and plans for a more “market-oriented, legally-based and internationalised business environment”.
The US business community in China has long shared its concerns over unfair market access, state subsidies to domestic firms, and intellectual property theft – all sticking points used by Washington to justify tariffs on Chinese goods.