China hopes that France and Germany will uphold open cooperation and free trade, observe World Trade Organization rules, and refrain from encouraging the European Union (EU) to use protectionist tools at every turn, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce said on October 6.

When asked to comment on media reports that France and Germany had urged the EU to make greater use of trade defense measures and roll out a number of new protectionist tools, the spokesperson said China has always maintained that interdependence is not a risk, intertwined interests do not pose a threat, and open cooperation represents the right path to development.

Protectionism cannot enhance competitiveness, and decoupling and cutting off supply chains will only harm others without benefiting oneself, the spokesperson said.

As major economies, France and Germany should not politicize trade and economic issues or overstretch the concept of national security. They should avoid going down the wrong path in the wrong way, which would ultimately backfire on themselves, the spokesperson added.