China Strongly Opposes US Investment Restrictions, Calls for Fair Trade Practices

On Monday, Lin Jian, spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, stated China's strong condemnation and opposition to a recent US memorandum designed to tighten scrutiny and impose restrictions on Chinese investments. This memorandum, signed last Friday by US President Donald Trump, labels China as a "foreign adversary," citing national security concerns as the justification for increasing scrutiny of Chinese investments across multiple strategic industries, including technology, healthcare, agriculture, energy, critical infrastructure, and raw materials.

Lin argued that these tightened security measures significantly harm the confidence and willingness of Chinese companies to invest in the US, undermining the American business environment itself. Moreover, he criticized the increased restrictions placed on American investments into China as disruptive interference in the independent decision-making processes of US businesses, leading to distorted economic relations between the two countries.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry emphasized that such protectionist actions against Chinese companies would eventually damage America's own economic interests and hurt its international credibility on trade and investment matters. Lin urged the US administration to follow international trade and investment rules, respect market economy principles, and abandon politically motivated measures that threaten China’s legitimate economic rights. He added that China reserves the right to implement appropriate measures to safeguard its economic interests.

Echoing these concerns, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) condemned the broad interpretation and frequent expansion by the US administration of the term "national security," warning that it substantially obstructs normal economic and commercial exchanges between both nations' industries. They stressed that implementation of such measures would severely impact business decision-making, disrupt global industrial and supply chain stability, and undermine the international trade order. The CCPIT strongly recommended that the US remove these investment restrictions to create an equitable, favorable environment conducive to mutual economic growth and bilateral business collaborations.

In a related development, the United States has further escalated restrictive actions specifically targeting China's maritime, shipbuilding, and logistics sectors. The Office of the US Trade Representative indicated that they are seeking public input on proposed measures aimed at challenging China's competitive practices in these sectors. Spokesperson Lin condemned this move as another misuse of the "Section 301 investigation" that breaches WTO provisions, accusing the US of politically motivated tactics that further compromise the integrity of the global multilateral trade system. Lin called upon the US government to align policy with international norms and immediately cease these harmful practices.