It is misleading to suggest China needs a trade deal with the United States due to its slowing economy, said China's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.
Geng Shuang, a spokesperson from the ministry, made the remark after U.S. President Donald Trump seized on China's slowing economic growth as evidence that it needs a trade deal with the U.S.
China's economic growth is "not bad," said Geng, adding that Trump's comments are misleading.
A trade deal is a demand for both sides, Geng told reporters.
China calls on the U.S. side to cooperate the country and meet the Chinese side halfway, he added.
China's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 6.3 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2019 to about 45.09 trillion yuan (roughly 6.55 trillion U.S. dollars), data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Monday.