China slams Yellen's call for US-European 'unified front'

BEIJING (AP) — China on Tuesday denounced an appeal by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for a U.S.-European “unified front” against Chinese “unfair economic practices” and human rights abuses.

“China strongly deplores and rejects Treasury Secretary Yellen’s remarks,” said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian.

Yellen issued the appeal Tuesday during a meeting with European Union officials in Brussels. President Joe Biden is trying to revive traditional alliances following the “America First” policies of his predecessor, Donald Trump.

“Together, we need to counter threats to the principles of openness, fair competition, transparency and accountability,” Yellen said, according to a text released by her department.

“These challenges include China’s unfair economic practices, malign behavior and human rights abuses,” Yellen said. “The more we confront these threats with a unified front, the more successful we will be.”

Zhao rejected the criticism, saying Beijing “always firmly supported” the multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization.

The ruling Communist Party denies accusations that it steals or pressures U.S., European and other foreign companies to hand over technology and shields its fledgling technology and other industries from competition in violation of its WTO commitments.

European governments also are frustrated that their companies are barred from acquiring most assets in China while Chinese companies, sometimes financed by state banks, have spent billions of dollars to acquire foreign technology and brands.

Beijing also rejects accusations of abuses against predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region in China's northwest. The Biden administration renewed genocide...