China: ‘Totally misleading’ for Trump to tie trade deal to slowing economy

China on Tuesday pushed back on President Trump’s claim that Beijing needs a trade deal with the U.S. due to its economic slowdown, calling it “totally misleading,” Reuters reported.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said during briefing that the pace of economic growth in the first half was a “not bad performance,” according to the news service, even though data released Monday showed the weakest annual growth in 25 years for the second quarter.

{mosads}“As for United States’s so-called ‘because China’s economy is slowing so China urgently hopes to reach an agreement with the U.S. side’, this is totally misleading,”  Geng said, according to Reuters, adding that both sides of the trade conflict sought an agreement.

“I again call on the U.S. side to work hard with China, meet each other halfway, and on the basis of mutual respect and treatment, strive to reach a mutually beneficial, win-win agreement,” he added. “This accords with the interests of both countries and is what the international community expects.”

In two tweets Monday, Trump claimed U.S. tariffs hurt economic growth in China, tweeting that is why the country “wants to make a deal.”

Hu Xijin, the editor of the Global Times tabloid published by the Communist Party-owned People’s Daily newspaper group, responded to the tweet, asking if it was “noble for a president to gloat” and attributing the slowdown to “restructuring.”

“Wait until US growth hits 6.2% then laugh at China,” he added.

1. Is it noble for a president to gloat? 2. 6.2% is much higher than US growth. Wait until US growth hits 6.2% then laugh at China. 3. Chinese economic growth slows down because of restructuring. The credit doesn’t go to the White House. https://t.co/jeRafodqd3

— Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) July 15, 2019