U.S. protectionist measures trigger global worries about trade war: spokesperson

U.S. discriminatory subsidies, continuous obstruction of the selection of judges for the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the imposition of high tariffs on imported products have triggered global worries about a new round of trade wars, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

Spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks at a regular press conference in response to a query regarding U.S. media criticism of China's investment in the manufacturing industry.

Lin said that China's manufacturing industry enjoys a global reputation relying on continuous R&D investment and comparative advantages, rather than subsidies or protectionist moves.

"We have ensured the stability of global production and supply chains with our complete manufacturing industry chain, and have also promoted technological progress and industrial upgrading worldwide," Lin said.

He added that China has maintained the world's top market share in goods trade exports for 15 consecutive years and the second-highest market share in imports for 15 consecutive years, playing an important role in promoting stable global economic development.

Whenever the United States finds itself in a predicament, some individuals and media in the United States use other countries as scapegoats to shift the blame, Lin said.

Lin further pointed out that the main factors causing global concerns about a new round of trade wars are U.S. measures including the discriminatory subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act, the continuous obstruction of the selection of judges for the Appellate Body of the WTO, and the frequent imposition of high tariffs on products from other countries.

He added that data clearly showed that last year, among members of the WTO, the United States alone reported 454 technical barriers to trade, more than the total reported by the following five members.

"Protectionism cannot bring the illusion of 'winning alone', but will only lose opportunities for win-win cooperation," Lin said, adding that the Chinese economy has integrated deeply with global development, and in the future it will further expand high-level opening up and cultivate new driving forces for global economic development.

On the path of open cooperation, China will always be an opportunity for the world, he said.