中华人民共和国商务部 MOFCOM, No. 2 D**g Chang'an Avenue, Beijing (2026)

03/08/2026

Minister Wang Wentao Holds Video Call with the UK’s New Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Jonathan Reynolds

On July 28, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao held a video call with the UK’s new Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds. The two sides exchanged views on China-UK economic and trade relations.

Wang congratulated Reynolds on his appointment and expressed China’s readiness to fully leverage the China-UK Joint Economic and Trade Commission mechanism to foster sound and steady growth in bilateral economic and trade ties. He said China stands ready to expand the cooperation pie with the UK, strengthen collaboration in services trade, green transition, renewable energy, and other areas, and drive upward and forward balance of bilateral trade. China reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core. On the British Steel nationalization issue, Wang noted China’s serious concern and urged the UK side to abide by relevant international rules, faithfully fulfill obligations under the China-UK Agreement Concerning the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments, and handle the matter prudently and properly so as to foster a sound business environment for Chinese enterprises operating in the UK.

Reynolds said that robust UK-China economic and trade relations serve the interests of businesses and people on both sides. The UK side echoed China’s vision of driving upward and forward balance of bilateral trade and looks forward to deepening practical cooperation with China in trade in services, climate change, artificial intelligence, and other fields, as well as enhancing coordination within the WTO framework. On the British Steel issue, Reynolds said the country understands and attaches importance to China’s concerns. Under applicable law, an independent third-party assessment will be commissioned, and the UK will strictly follow the findings and provide fair compensation. The country does not wish this matter to affect the overall UK-China economic and trade relationship. (Released on July 29)

03/08/2026

MOFCOM Spokesperson’s Remarks on the U.S. Department of War Adding Certain Chinese Research Institutions to Its Sanctions List

Q: On July 23, ET, the U.S. Department of War released the update to its “list of foreign institutions engaging in problematic activities” (the NDAA Section 1286 List), imposing sanctions on certain Chinese research institutions. What is MOFCOM’s comment?

A: We have noted this development. China strongly deplores and firmly opposes this.

The U.S. side has kept overstretching the concept of national security, artificially erecting discriminatory barriers, and politicizing, weaponizing, and instrumentalizing scientific research cooperation, which undermines exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and U.S. scientific research communities and runs counter to the global trend of cooperation in science, technology, and innovation.

China urges the U.S. to stop making groundless vilification against Chinese research institutions, correct its erroneous practices as soon as possible, and provide fair, just, and non-discriminatory treatment to Chinese research institutions. China will take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese research institutions and ensure normal exchanges and cooperation in science and technology. (Released on July 29)

31/07/2026

Data on China's commerce work and performance in H1 2026 (4/4)

31/07/2026

Data on China's commerce work and performance in H1 2026 (3/4)

31/07/2026

MOFCOM Spokesperson’s Remarks on the U.S. Announcement of Plans to Investigate and Impose Sanctions on Chinese AI Companies

Q: Recently, some senior U.S. officials publicly said that they would launch investigations on Chinese AI companies over their so-called “distillation” of frontier U.S. models, and might impose sanctions on Chinese companies on grounds such as the alleged “theft of U.S. intellectual property”. What is China’s comment on this?

A: We have taken note of the relevant developments. China always opposes the U.S. practice of politicizing and instrumentalising technology and trade and economic issues, stigmatizing Chinese companies and imposing sanctions on them on various fabricated grounds. The U.S. side turns a blind eye to the fact that the release dates of relevant Chinese companies’ AI models are very close to those of frontier U.S. models, and that some Chinese models have already taken the lead in certain capabilities. It has slapped labels such as “distillation” and “theft of U.S. intellectual property” on Chinese companies, and has threatened to suppress and sanction them. These practices lack factual basis, have no legal grounding, and apply double standards in practice. They constitute a typical form of AI hegemonism.

Innovation is not the preserve of any single party. Chinese AI companies have long been engaged in basic research, adhered to the practice of self-reliance, self-strengthening and open cooperation, and embraced the vision of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, driving rapid progress in AI technology and achieving remarkable results in a growing number of fields, including front end coding capabilities. It is understood that many U.S. AI companies have distilled Chinese models in their R&D and training. It is noteworthy that numerous U.S. industry players have openly opposed the U.S. threat of sanctions against Chinese AI companies. Nearly 200 U.S. startups have urged the U.S. government not to cut off access to Chinese open-source models, arguing that doing so would weaken the competitiveness of U.S. companies. Some large U.S. multinational companies have stated that model distillation is a widely used industry technique, and that U.S. companies should be allowed to use Chinese open-source AI models.

China urges the U.S. to listen to the objective and rational voices of the industry in both countries, correct its hegemonic mindset, and stop smearing Chinese companies and threatening them with sanctions. For any action that causes substantive harm to China’s interests, China will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests. It is hoped that the U.S. side will earnestly implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, work with China in the same direction, strengthen dialogue and communication on AI, jointly develop AI for the positive and for good, and benefit both countries and the rest of the world by advancing and improving AI governance. (Released on July 27)

31/07/2026

MOFCOM Spokesperson’s Remarks on Adding 14 EU Entities to the Restricted Namelist

Q: On July 24, 2026, MOFCOM issued the latest Restricted Namelist. What is the consideration behind this?

A: On the evening of July 23, Beijing time, the EU side officially released its 21st package of sanctions against Russia, placing 14 companies from the Chinese mainland and China’s Hong Kong SAR on its sanctions list. To safeguard national security and interests, and perform non-proliferation and other international obligations, in response to the above-mentioned egregious acts by the EU, China has decided, in accordance with the provisions of the Export Control Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Regulations on Export Control of Dual-Use Items of the People’s Republic of China, and other relevant laws and regulations, to add 14 EU entities, including Lafert S.p.A., to the Restricted Namelist, prohibiting export operators from exporting dual-use items to the above-mentioned entities, and prohibiting overseas organizations and individuals from transferring or providing dual-use items originating from the People’s Republic of China to these entities. (Released on July 24)

31/07/2026

MOFCOM Spokesperson’s Remarks on the U.S. Release of Final Measures in the Section 301 Investigation on “Forced Labor”

Q: On July 23, EST, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) issued final measures based on its findings of the Section 301 investigation into the “failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor,” imposing Section 301 tariffs on 60 economies, including China, with an additional 12.5% tariff on Chinese goods. What is China’s response to this?

A: We have taken note of the relevant developments. China has always opposed forced labor and has established a sound system of labor laws and regulations to resolutely prevent and combat forced labor practices. The United States, by contrast, has not only failed to ratify the Forced Labor Convention, 1930 (No. 29), but has also long manipulated the issue of “forced labor.” The latest move to initiate a Section 301 investigation and impose unilateral tariffs under the pretext of “forced labor” is a typical act of unilateralism and protectionism, which China firmly opposes.

We have also noted that the U.S. side has repeatedly indicated its intention to replace with Section 301 tariffs the tariffs previously imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the import surcharge imposed under Section 122—both of which have been ruled invalid by court decisions. During the China-U.S. economic and trade consultations, the U.S. side explicitly committed that the replacement tariffs on Chinese goods would not exceed 20%. At present, the replacement tariffs imposed by the U.S. side on Chinese goods stand at 12.5%. China’s countermeasures in response to the first round of the so-called fentanyl tariffs and reciprocal tariffs by the U.S. side remain in effect. We will continue to closely monitor and comprehensively assess the U.S. side’s subsequent actions, and reserve the right to take all necessary measures.

China urges the U.S. side to correct its wrongful practices and completely abolish the relevant unilateral tariff measures. China is ready to continue dialogue and consultations with the U.S. side on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit to address each other’s concerns. We hope that the U.S. side will pull with China in the same direction, jointly uphold and implement the consensus reached in the economic and trade consultations, continuously shorten the list of problems and lengthen the list of cooperation, and make greater contributions to a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability. (Released on July 27)

31/07/2026

Data on China's commerce work and performance in H1 2026 (2/4)

31/07/2026

Data on China's commerce work and performance in H1 2026 (1/4)

30/07/2026

Hi! I'm a coffee bean. From the Ethiopian Highlands to coffee cups across China, my journey took a new turn at the . ☕ Want to know how it all happened? Let's dive in!

中华人民共和国商务部 MOFCOM

03/08/2026

03/08/2026

31/07/2026

31/07/2026

31/07/2026

31/07/2026

31/07/2026

31/07/2026

31/07/2026

30/07/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request