China hopes that the US can return to rationality and stop the acts that injure others and themselves, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a regular press conference on Tuesday.

The remarks came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday termed China’s trade practices as “predatory economics 101” at the Detroit Economic Club.

Geng said what the US said is not the truth and that it only accused China of nothing so that they can cover their act of unilateralism and protectionism. 

Recently, the US has ignored the consensus that has been reached between China and the US, changed attitude continuously, and initiated the trade war again. This act has made the US lose trust in the rest of the world, it not only harms the interests of peoples and enterprises of China and the United States but also hurts the interests of other countries across the globe.

China doesn't want a trade war, but also is not afraid of a trade war, Geng said, adding that if someone initiated a trade war, the country will take effective measures to safeguard its own legitimate rights and interests, support the economic globalization and multilateral trading system, and will continue to promote the people-centered reform and opening up and the development of its economy at the current pace, no matter how the environment changes.