Beijing says US protectionism targeting China will hurt all countries. China's Foreign Ministry said concerns shared by Australia reflect a widely held view.

HUA CHUNYING CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON "The statements made by Australia represent the general view of the international community. The United States' unilateral and protectionist measures will not only harm China's interests, but will also jeopardise multilateralism and the interests of all countries in the world. We want to work together with the international community to jointly resist protectionism and unilateralism, defend the multilateral trade system and build an open world economy."

The Ministry also responded to the US Commerce Secretary saying Latin America benefited more from exports to America than from selling raw materials to China.

Hua Chunying said it was for the people of Latin America to decide if China is a good partner.

HUA CHUNYING CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON "China-Latin America cooperation is one of equality and mutual benefits, and would not target at any third party. China is not playing a game of geopolitics and never buys or sells by force. It never threatens other countries through trade wars. Facts have proven that China-Latin America cooperation is in accordance with our mutual benefits and wishes. It focuses on mutual development and win-win achievements. China is currently the second largest trade partner of Latin America and Chinese enterprises have created more than 1.8 million jobs in the region. The voices from Latin America countries are loud and clear. We hope the US can listen to it with an open mind."