China urges US companies to protect global supply chains

As the world grapples with rising unilateralism and protectionist pressures, China has encouraged companies from the United States to pursue fact-based dialogue and take practical steps to help safeguard the stability of global supply chains, said a senior commerce official.

Speaking at a roundtable meeting with senior executives from more than 20 US companies in Beijing on Sunday, Chinese Vice-Minister of Commerce Ling Ji, said the current tariff challenges stem primarily from decisions made by the US side.

Facing significant backlash, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on the so-called "reciprocal tariffs" last week, imposing a 10-percent "minimum baseline tariff" and higher rates on certain trading partners.

The policy includes tariffs as high as 34 percent on imports from China and 20 percent from the European Union.

China has long been, and will continue to be, an ideal and promising destination for foreign investment, including those from the US, said Ling.