Gao Feng, spokesperson of China’s Commerce Ministry, holds a press conference on Thursday, May 30 in Beijing. (Photo by Shen Weiduo from Global Times)

Beijing will continue to protect the legitimate rights and interests of all foreign companies in the country despite the US crackdown on Chinese technology enterprises such as Huawei, a Chinese official said on Thursday, May 30.

When asked about whether China will impose certain restrictions on US technology giant Apple Inc. during a regular press conference, Gao Feng, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, said that all foreign companies’ legitimate rights and interests will be protected by the Chinese government.

“We will unswervingly deepen reform, expand openness, and strive to create a stable, transparent, fair, and predictable first-class business environment globally for all types of enterprises,” Gao said.

The comments came amid escalating trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies, and the US Commerce Department’s decision to add Huawei - the largest telecoms equipment provider and second-largest smartphone vendor in the world - to the Entity List, which identifies organizations and individuals considered to be a significant risk to US security and foreign policy.

A group of US high-technology companies, including Google, Intel and Qualcomm, recently said they would move to cut off their supplies and services to Huawei, casting a shadow over the global supply chain and affecting the future of technology.

Trade talks between China and the US are on hold. Talking about the status of the trade talks, Gao took a firm stance on Thursday, stressing that China will not compromise on its principles for a trade deal and said that “China bears no blame for a delay of the trade negotiations between the two sides. It’s the fluctuating attitude of the US that hinders the good atmosphere for trade negotiations.”

He further noted that the progress of China-US trade talks depends to a large extent on the attitude and sincerity of the US side as consultations are only possible on the basis of equal treatment and mutual respect.  

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