China slams protectionist US trade probe

File photo of US President Donald Trump with Chinese President Xi Jinping [Xinhua]China, on Thursday, expressed “strong dissatisfaction” with the US decision to probe its intellectual-property practices.
“We will take all the necessary measures to resolutely defend the interests of China and Chinese firms,” China’s Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng said at a briefing Thursday.
The spokesperson said China is disappointed with the “unilateral and protectionist” US action.
“The US investigation of China based on domestic laws sabotages the existing international trading system,” Feng added.
China has said earlier that the US is disregarding World Trade Organization rules by conducting the probe under domestic laws.
The response follows the announcement by US President Donald Trump asking his country’s top trade official to review China’s practices regarding intellectual property.
During his presidential campaign rally, Trump had promised to push China to “play by the rules”.
In 2016, US-China trade amounted to $648 billion.

TBP and Agencies