Gao Feng, spokesperson of China's Commerce Ministry, holds a press conference on Thursday in Beijing. (Photo: Shen Weiduo/GT)
Beijing will continue to protect the legitimate rights and interests of all foreign companies in the country despite the U.S. crackdown on Chinese technology enterprises such as Huawei, a Chinese official said on Thursday.
When asked about whether China will impose certain restrictions on U.S. technology giant Apple Inc during a regular press conference, Gao Feng, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, said that all foreign companies' legitimate rights and interests will be protected by the Chinese government.
"We will unswervingly deepen reform, expand openness, and strive to create a stable, transparent, fair, and predictable first-class business environment globally for all types of enterprises," Gao said.
The comments came amid escalating trade tensions between the world's two largest economies, and the U.S. Commerce Department's decision to add Huawei - the largest telecoms equipment provider and second-largest smartphone vendor in the world - to the Entity List, which identifies organizations and individuals considered to be a significant risk to U.S. security and foreign policy.
A group of U.S. high-technology companies, including Google, Intel and Qualcomm, recently said they would move to cut off their supplies and services to Huawei, casting a shadow over the global supply chain and affecting the future of technology.
Trade talks between China and the U.S. are on hold. While on a recent state visit to Japan, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the U.S. "isn't ready" to make a trade deal with China.
Talking about the status of the trade talks, Gao took a firm stance on Thursday, stressing that China will not compromise on its principles for a trade deal and said that "China bears no blame for a delay of the trade negotiations between the two sides. It's the fluctuating attitude of the U.S. that hinders the good atmosphere for trade negotiations."
He further noted that the progress of China-U.S. trade talks depends to a large extent on the attitude and sincerity of the U.S. side as consultations are only possible on the basis of equal treatment and mutual respect.
