U.S., European protectionism against China’s auto industry will hurt their long-term development: spokesperson

BEIJING, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) — Trade protectionist measures taken by the United States and Europe will hurt their own long-term development and encumber the progress and prosperity of the world, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said here Tuesday.

It was reported that the United States is considering restricting imports of Chinese smart cars and related components by non-tariff means. The EU has launched an anti-subsidy investigation into the imports of electric cars from China.

In response, spokesperson Mao Ning told a daily news briefing that division of labor and mutually beneficial collaboration are distinctive features of the auto industrial chain.

“The leapfrog development of China’s auto industry has provided cost-effective products with high quality to the world,” she said, adding that every one in three exported automobiles from China is an electric car, which contributes significantly to the world’s green and low-carbon transition.

Mao said the trade protectionist measures taken by relevant countries against China, just as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointed out, to turn normal trade activities into security and ideological issues, build “small yards with high fences” in the name of “de-risking”, and attempt to “trip others up” instead of “running faster” may seem like a win, but are actually a loss of one’s own long-term development and have encumbered the progress and prosperity of the world.

China believes in solidarity, cooperation and openness rather than division, confrontation and isolation, and believes it’s important to accommodate the interests of others while pursuing one’s own, work for common development while seeking one’s own development, create a world-class, market-oriented and law-based environment for global economic and trade cooperation, and make economic globalization more inclusive and beneficial to all, the spokesperson said.