China is strongly against other countries imposing unilateral sanctions on Chinese entities, a Commerce Ministry spokesman said, stressing that the United States should avoid further damaging Sino-US trade relations.
“CHINA WILL TAKE ALL NECESARRY MEASURES”
The crackdown on Huawei came as US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he would visit China soon for more trade talks. Hopes for a deal to end their trade war have been thrown into doubt after the world’s two biggest economies raised tariffs on each other’s goods in the past week.
“China has emphasized many times that the concept of national security should not be abused, and that it should not be used as a tool for trade protectionism,” Gao Feng, spokesman at the Chinese commerce ministry, told reporters. “China will take all the necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights of Chinese firms.”
President Donald Trump had signed an executive order barring US firms from using telecom equipment made by companies deemed to pose a national security risk.