The Ministry of Commerce of the Chinese mainland reaffirmed on Thursday that it will never pursue any agreement on TikTok at the expense of its principles, corporate interests or international fairness and justice.
Spokesperson He Yadong emphasized that the Chinese mainland has consistently opposed the politicization, instrumentalization and weaponization of technology and trade issues. “Our position on the TikTok issue remains unchanged,” he said at a routine press briefing.
He noted that economic and trade teams from the Chinese mainland and the United States convened in Madrid on September 14 and 15, guided by the consensus reached in a recent phone call between the two heads of state. The two sides agreed on a basic framework to tackle TikTok-related concerns through cooperation, lowered investment barriers and enhanced trade collaboration.
The spokesperson added that the government fully respects enterprises’ autonomy and supports equal commercial negotiations under market principles. All TikTok-related matters, including technology exports and intellectual property authorizations, will proceed in accordance with the law.
He called on the United States to uphold an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment, in line with bilateral agreements, to ensure that Chinese mainland companies like TikTok can operate smoothly and contribute to stable, healthy and sustainable economic and trade relations.
Reference(s):
China says will never reach deal at expense of principles, companies
cgtn.com
