A spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce addressed a reporter's question regarding the joint ministerial statement issued by the United States and a group of economies on tackling the so-called "structural overcapacity and production" issue.

Question: On October 7, US Eastern Time, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced that the United States had recently convened senior officials from 14 economies for a meeting, during which a joint ministerial statement was signed and released addressing the so-called "structural overcapacity and production" issue. What is the Ministry of Commerce's comment on this?

Answer: We have taken note of the relevant situation. China has on multiple occasions and in various settings elaborated its position on the so-called "overcapacity" issue, and in July of this year specifically released a position paper on the matter. China has consistently held that the issue of capacity should be viewed in a comprehensive, objective, and fair manner, and that economic and trade issues should not be politicized out of concern for one's own industrial competitiveness and market position. China opposes individual countries using the pretext of so-called "overcapacity" to practice trade protectionism, which will only disrupt the global economic and trade order and the stability of industrial and supply chains, and bring long-term risks to world economic growth. If relevant economies in the future use this as a pretext to take measures that harm China's interests, China will make necessary responses. China is committed to building a modernized industrial system through open cooperation and supports the building of a fair and reasonable international economic order. China calls on all relevant parties to uphold multilateralism, advocate mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, respect market laws, and jointly safeguard an open and inclusive global industrial and supply chain cooperation framework. Source: Information Office of the Ministry of Commerce.