China urges EU to refrain from discriminatory measures

Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun on Wednesday called on the European Union to listen to rational voices from various sectors across Europe and refrain from adopting discriminatory restrictive measures after multiple European telecommunications giants criticized the EU's cybersecurity legislative drive.

Local media reported that earlier this month, 17 companies signed on an open letter to warn over potential rising costs brought by the drafted amendment of the Cybersecurity Act.

In response, Guo said that China has noticed relevant reports.

"The open letter released by European telecommunications companies once again proves that the EU's approach is harmful to others and does not benefit itself," he said.

"Protectionism does not lead to competitiveness; it will only lead to missed opportunities for digital transformation, damage Europe's economic and social development and its image as an open market, and undermine the faith of companies from various countries in investing in Europe," he added.