Ministry of Commerce responds to Meta's acquisition of Manus, China-U.S. economic and trade relations, and other hot topics

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, April 2 (Reporter Wang Yuhao, Xie Yiyao) At a routine press conference held on April 2, He Yadong, spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce, responded to hot-button issues including Meta’s acquisition of Manus and China-U.S. economic and trade relations.

A reporter asked: Reports say that the founder of Manus has been barred from leaving China to Singapore. What measures will the Chinese side take regarding Meta’s acquisition of Manus? Also, what proportion of technological contribution needs to be developed in China in order to be considered as originating from China? If a company is registered abroad, does not cite Chinese onshore capital, and does not provide in-China business collection of data on users within China, how does the Chinese side set jurisdiction?

In response, He Yadong said that regarding the first question you mentioned, the Ministry of Commerce does not have relevant information. Regarding the issue of enterprises operating across borders, the Chinese side has previously made multiple responses. “I would like to emphasize again that the Chinese government supports enterprises, as needed, to carry out cross-border operations and technology cooperation. Such conduct must comply with China’s laws and regulations and follow statutory procedures.”

Speaking about China-U.S. economic and trade relations, He Yadong said that, since last year, guided by important strategic consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, China and the United States have gone through six rounds of economic and trade consultations and reached a series of consultation outcomes in the economic and trade arena, injecting more stability and certainty into bilateral economic and trade relations and the world economy. Facts have fully proved that adhering to mutual respect and equal dialogue and consultation is the best way to bridge differences and resolve problems. China and the United States should implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and the outcomes of the earlier economic and trade consultations, further leverage the mechanism for economic and trade consultations, strengthen communication and dialogue, properly manage differences, expand practical cooperation, and promote the healthy, stable, and sustainable development of China-U.S. economic and trade relations.

Regarding the China–ASEAN Free Trade Area Version 3.0, a reporter asked: What progress has the Ministry of Commerce made in promoting the China–ASEAN Free Trade Area Version 3.0? In particular, in the fields of the digital economy and the green economy, how will China and ASEAN countries deepen cooperation on industrial chains?

He Yadong said that the upgrade protocol for the China–ASEAN Free Trade Area Version 3.0 was officially signed on October 28 of last year. The upgraded Version 3.0 aligns with new trends in international economic and trade development and, for the first time, brings emerging areas such as the digital economy, the green economy, and interconnection and interoperability across the production–supply–distribution chain into the framework. According to the provisions of the protocol, the agreement will enter into force only after China and at least five ASEAN member states approve it. At present, China is working with ASEAN member states in parallel to accelerate the domestic approval procedures for the protocol, aiming to have it enter into force and be implemented as early as possible.

“We will fully unleash the effectiveness of the protocol, support China’s digital and new energy enterprises to go deep into the ASEAN market, continuously deepen cooperation between the two sides in frontier areas such as cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence, financial technology, green equipment, and green power generation, and promote deep integration across the production–supply–distribution chains,” He Yadong said.

The 139th Canton Fair will open on April 15. He Yadong introduced that, as of April 1, the number of pre-registered overseas buyers had exceeded 170k. Procurement enterprises are continuing to grow in number. A total of 279 companies have confirmed to form groups to attend the event, including Walmart of the United States, Semboli of the United Kingdom, Samsung Electronics of South Korea, and others.

“Judging from the registration situation, even in the face of uncertain external environments, overseas buyers have crossed mountains and seas and cast votes with their feet, demonstrating their trust in Chinese-made products and their confidence in China’s economy,” He Yadong said.

(Editor: Wen Jing)

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