China to firmly protect lawful rights of domestic firms following U.S. ban

BEIJING, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- China will take necessary measures to firmly uphold the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies, said the commerce ministry Thursday.

Shu Jueting, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, commented when responding to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's recent ban on the imports and sales of telecommunications equipment from five Chinese companies.

The U.S. side has time and again stretched the concept of national security and abused national power to maliciously suppress Chinese companies, Shu said, adding that China firmly opposed such moves.

Such practice from the United States will not only harm the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese firms, but also hurt the interests of U.S. companies and consumers, undermine the international economic order and trade rules, and is of no good to both sides and the world at large, Shu said.

The United States should immediately correct its mistake, stop politicizing and weaponizing economic and trade issues, and treat all enterprises, including the Chinese ones, equally, Shu added.