China says misleading to suggest it needs trade deal due to slowing economy

FILE PHOTO: A man walks outside the construction sites in Beijing's central business area, China January 18, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee - Copyright Jason Lee(Reuters)

By Reuters

Published on 16/07/2019 - 10:04•Updated 26/04/2024 - 01:16

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BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it was misleading to suggest Beijing needed a trade deal with the United States because its economy was slowing, following a tweet by U.S. President Donald Trump.

China's economic growth was "not bad", said ministry spokesman Geng Shuang in comments made at a daily news briefing in Beijing.

Trump seized on slowing economic growth in China as evidence that U.S. tariffs were having "a major effect" and warned that Washington could pile on more pressure.

Official data on Monday showed China's economic growth cooled to 6.2% in the second quarter, its weakest pace in at least 27 years.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Writing by Ryan Woo; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)

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