(June 3): China hit back at any suggestion it uses forced labour and said trade issues with the US should be sorted out in talks.
“So-called forced labour does not exist in China, and we oppose using this as a pretext for political manipulation,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.
Mao added that her country “consistently opposes unilateral tariff measures in all forms”, and said “economic and trade issues should be resolved through dialogue and consultation on the basis of equality, mutual respect and reciprocity”.
Following an inquiry into how trade partners handle goods allegedly produced by forced labour, the Trump administration proposed new tariffs on dozens of nations. Products from China and some other nations would be subject to a 12.5% levy.
The move threatens to upend a bilateral relationship that President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping stabilised in a summit last month in Beijing.
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