China warns of countermeasures against trade protectionism under 'overcapacity' pretext

(ECNS) — China will take necessary measures in response if relevant economies use "overcapacity" as a pretext to adopt measures that harm Chinese interests, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Friday.

The spokesperson made the remarks in response to a question from the media about an announcement by the Office of the United States Trade Representative on Oct. 7 that the United States had convened senior officials from 14 other economies to sign a joint ministerial statement to address so-called "structural excess capacity and production."

The MOFCOM spokesperson noted that China has repeatedly clarified its position on the so-called "overcapacity" issue and released a dedicated position paper in July.

The country has consistently maintained that production capacity issues should be viewed in a comprehensive, objective and fair manner, and that economic and trade matters should not be politicized because of concerns about domestic industrial competitiveness and market position, according to the spokesperson.

The spokesperson stressed that China opposes any attempt by certain countries to pursue trade protectionism in the name of addressing so-called "overcapacity," warning that those practices would only disrupt the global economic and trade order, undermine the stability of global industrial and supply chains, and pose long-term risks to global economic growth.

If relevant economies use the issue as a pretext to take steps that harm China's interests, China will take any kind of necessary measures in response, the spokesperson added.

China also remains committed to building a modern industrial system through openness and cooperation, as the country supports the establishment of a fair and equitable international economic order, the spokesperson noted.

China called on all parties to uphold multilateralism, promote mutually beneficial cooperation, respect the laws of the market economy, and work together to safeguard an open and inclusive framework for cooperation across global industrial and supply chains, the spokesperson said.