China slams senior US official's remarks on trade dispute

BEIJING - China Thursday refuted the remarks made by a senior US official who blamed China for the bilateral trade dispute, saying his words distorted the facts.

According to reports, Larry Kudlow, head of the White House Economic Council, said the United States and China failed to reach an agreement to resolve the trade dispute, and China should take the responsibility for that. China could end the US tariffs by providing a more satisfactory approach.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a routine news briefing that Kudlow's remark distorted the facts and is astonishing and beyond imagination.

The United States arbitrary and unreasonable decisions and discreditable behaviors are the direct and fundamental reason for the developing and upgrading to the dispute, Hua said.

China has made the utmost efforts to push for a resolution to the issue through dialogue and consultation to avoid escalation of the trade dispute, Hua said.

The US behavior will only seriously damage its own reputation, and it is completely unhelpful to resolving the issue, she said.

"We have confidence and enough capabilities to safeguard our legitimate interests, and make joint efforts with other countries to maintain international rules and the multilateral trading system," Hua said.