China urges US to safeguard multilateral trade system

BEIJING - China called on the United States to take concrete actions in safeguarding the multilateral trade system, on Monday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made the comment after the US government said on Friday that it was a mistake to support China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) on terms that have failed to secure China's embrace of an open economy.

"It is the unilateral moves by the United States and its unilateral messages that pose unprecedented challenges to the multilateral trade system. Many members of the WTO have expressed their concerns over that," Hua said.

Since it joined the WTO, China has strictly abided by relevant rules and regulations, fulfilled its due obligations, and made significant contributions to the development of the multilateral trade system. Other countries also benefited from trading with China, she said.

In fact, most WTO members affirm China's stance on upholding the multilateral trade system and expect China to play a bigger role, according to Hua.

"Both the United States and China, as important members of the WTO, should safeguard the authority of the WTO rules, and jointly improve a rule-based, fair, and open multilateral trade system with the WTO as the core," Hua said.