China raps 'fabricated' US claims, says talks 'meaningless'

China has dismissed US accusations of forcing firms to hand over technology as "fabricated" and suggested that a resumption of talks will be meaningless unless Washington changes course.

The Communist Party's People’s Daily said on Saturday the accusations were “an old-fashioned argument used by some people in the United States to suppress China’s development.”

“The US argument about the ‘forced transfer of technology’ can be described as being fabricated from thin air,” the paper said, adding that Washington had not yet been able to provide any evidence to back up the claims.

The People’s Daily said the United States benefited substantially from voluntary technological cooperation, earning $7.96 billion in intellectual property use fees in 2016 alone.

The paper argued that Washington’s “fragile nerves” were caused by China’s rapidly growing research and development capabilities.

Beijing announced this week it would retaliate against a move by Washington to raise tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports.

Tensions worsened this week after the Trump administration added China's Huawei to a trade blacklist, that will make it extremely difficult for the telecom giant to do business with US companies.

The order puts Huawei and 68 affiliates in more than two dozen countries on the blacklist. That bans the company from buying parts and components from American firms without US government approval.

The United States has said negotiations are likely to restart soon but China said Friday resuming bilateral trade talks would have no meaning unless Washington changed course and showed “sincerity."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in Beijing Friday China always encouraged resolving disputes with the United States through dialogue and consultations.

“But because of certain things the US side has done during the previous China-US trade consultations, we believe if there is meaning for these talks, there must be a show of sincerity,” Lu said.

Sources familiar with the issue said the trade talks had stalled and the next round of negotiations between the two countries was “in flux.”

The People’s Daily published on Friday a front-page commentary that China is as “firm as a boulder” in protecting its national interests and dignity in the face of Washington’s trade war.

“The trade war can’t bring China down. It will only harden us to grow stronger,” it said.

SS