The spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce responded to reporters’ questions regarding the United States convening some economies to issue a joint ministerial statement to address the so-called “structural capacity and overproduction” issues.

Q: On October 7, Eastern Time, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced that the United States had recently convened a meeting of senior officials from 14 economies to sign a joint ministerial statement to address the so-called "structural capacity and overproduction" problem. What is the Ministry of Commerce’s comment on this?

A: We have noticed the relevant situation. China has repeatedly stated its views on the so-called "overcapacity" issue on different occasions, and issued a relevant position paper in July this year.

China has always believed that production capacity issues must be viewed in a comprehensive, objective and fair manner, and economic and trade issues must not be politicized out of concerns about its own industrial competitiveness and market status. China opposes individual countries' actual trade protectionism in the name of so-called "overcapacity". This will only disrupt the global economic and trade order and the stability of the production and supply chain, and bring long-term risks to world economic growth. If relevant economies use this as an excuse in the future to take measures that harm China's interests, China will make necessary responses.

China insists on building a modern industrial system through open cooperation and supports the establishment of a fair and reasonable international economic order. China calls on all parties concerned to adhere to multilateralism, advocate mutual benefit and win-win results, respect market laws, and jointly maintain an open and inclusive global industry and supply chain cooperation pattern.