China blasts G7 over 'interference' in trade policy
China
has attacked the
Group of Seven nations
for what it called interference in its internal affairs and chastised a top European official for criticising Beijing's
rare earth
and economic policies.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman
Guo Jiakun
formally protested a statement issued by Canadian Prime Minister
Mark Carney
after the G7 meeting in Alberta that called on China to "refrain from market distortions and harmful overcapacity."
Speaking at a regular briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, Guo responded by calling the comments "irresponsible," "manipulative" and a "smear."
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The back-and-forth has rekindled a debate about whether Chinese products are flooding global markets and threatening economies elsewhere.
Beyond worries over trade and industrial policy, the G7 leaders also discussed their "ongoing serious concerns about China's destabilizing activities in the East and South China Seas and the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," according to the statement.
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Guo denied there's any "overcapacity and market distortion" resulting from Chinese actions, saying that such claims were merely "an excuse to practice trade protectionism" and suppress China's industry.
The statement "interfered in China's internal affairs and violated the basic principles of international relations," he added.
Guo also chided European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who said at the G7 meeting that the world is experiencing a new "China Shock." She accused Beijing of using its quasi-monopoly over some sectors "not only as a bargaining chip, but also weaponizing it to undermine competitors in key industries."
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