On February 8, vice minister at China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC), Zhong Shan, stated that the recent trade friction between China and the US would not trigger a trade war between the two sides.
The vice minister said that, during the past year when the world economy was in difficulty, China came under great external pressure, becoming the biggest victim of the rise in trade protectionism. In 2009, he said, there were about 116 trade protectionism cases against Chinese exports, involving a total value of $12.7 billion.
Mr. Zhong stated that, in spite of the increased trade friction between China and the US, he believed that the friction would not trigger a trade war between the two. He also emphasized that the Chinese government would resolutely fight trade protectionism and oppose the abuse of trade remedy measures, aiming to solve trade disputes and friction through communication and bilateral cooperation.