Beijing appeals to US to accept its technology progress

China urged Washington yesterday to accept its industrial development after U.S. intelligence officials said Beijing steals or copies foreign technology, as the two sides prepared for another day of talks aimed at ending a tariff war over Beijing’s technology ambitions.

It is “totally unreasonable to make random accusations,” said a foreign ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang.

Earlier, U.S. intelligence officials told Congress that China is the biggest commercial and military threat to the United States. A separate report this week said Beijing will steal or copy technologies it cannot make itself.

“The United States is the world’s top power in terms of technology, we acknowledge that,” Geng said. “But we hope that the US can see the scientific and technological progress of other countries with an open and inclusive attitude. It must allow others to make progress while developing itself.”

President Donald Trump is voicing optimism before he meets with representatives from China for trade talks today [Macau time].

But Trump says “No final deal” will be made until he sits down again with Chinese President Xi Jinping “in the near future” to discuss “some of the long standing and more difficult points.”

The negotiators meeting in Washington face a March 2 deadline: the Trump administration is scheduled to escalate its tariffs on USD200 billion worth of Chinese imports from 10 percent to 25 percent if a deal is not struck before then. MDT/AP