China, EU support free trade: MOFCOM
More countries objecting to US measures
China and the EU are firm supporters of free trade and China will make joint efforts with other WTO members to defend the multilateral trading system, a senior Chinese trade official said Thursday.
On April 16, the EU asked to conduct consultations with the US regarding the US Section 232 measures that impose duties on imported metal, Gao Feng, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), told a press conference in Beijing.
The EU said in a statement that although the US considered its Section 232 measures to be national security measures, they are in fact safeguard measures, a view that China shares, Gao noted.
So far, Russia, India and Turkey have also joined the EU and proposed the same request for consultation with the US.
On April 19, the EU again asked to join consultations brought by China to the WTO over US import tariffs, and countries and regions including Russia, India, Thailand and China’s Hong Kong have also demanded to join the consultations, according to Gao.
In March, the US announced it would impose a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum, citing national security concerns, while exempting the EU until May 1. Other countries, including Canada, Mexico, Australia, Argentina, Brazil and South Korea, also received temporary exemptions.
The US unilaterally slapped duties on steel and aluminum imports in the name of “national security,” Gao said, noting that the practice is an abuse of the concept of national security and also seriously violates WTO rules and harms the multilateral trading system.
MOFCOM said that China and the EU are firm supporters of free trade and both oppose protectionism. China will make joint efforts with other WTO members to firmly defend the multilateral trading system and protect their legitimate rights and interests, according to the ministry.
Gao said that China is scheduled to express its stance regarding the US Section 301 investigation into alleged theft of intellectual property at a meeting at the WTO on Friday.
China hopes that the will US abandon its unilateralism and protectionism and that the two nations can address disputes through talks and consultations, said Gao.