China urges US to cease Section 301 investigation

BEIJING - China on Thursday reiterated its opposition to the US Section 301 investigation and urged the United States to cease investigation procedures.

Gao Feng, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, made the remarks at a press conference when commenting on the public hearings in the United States on the tariff proposal based on the Section 301 investigation against China from May 15 to 17.

In April, the US administration proposed tariffs on a list of Chinese goods worth $50 billion based on the Section 301 investigation into alleged Chinese intellectual property and technology transfer practices.

The Section 301 investigation is "an act of unilateralism" and "unpopular with the public," he said, citing that more than 90 percent of the 2,000-plus published comments during the hearings opposed the tariff proposal.

Gao also denied links between the public hearing and the ongoing China-US economic and trade consultations in Washington.

"We urge the United States to cease the Section 301 investigation to create a good environment for bilateral economic and trade cooperation," he said.