Beijing Sends Warning To US Over Trade War

Beijing has told the US to show restraint over trade dispute between the two

nations, according to state media.

In what appeared to be a veiled threat, Foreign Minister Wang Yi phoned US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and urged Washington not to go too far.

Wang told his counterpart that the US has recently made remarks and taken actions that were harmful to Chinese interests, including cracking down on Chinese enterprises' normal operations through political measures, according to Xinhua.

"We urge the US side not to go too far," Wang told Pompeo, adding that the United States should change its course as soon as possible so as to avoid further damage of bilateral ties.

The two countries are involved in a bruising tit-for-tat trade battle, hitting billions of worth of each others' exports with tariffs. Several rounds of negotiation have achieved little.

And on Wednesday Trump stepped up the US battle against mainland tech giant Huawei, when he signed an executive order prohibiting the purchase or use of equipment from companies that pose "an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States" or the safety of the American people.

While the White House insisted that no particular country or company was targeted, Huawei is likely to be hit by the move amid concerns that its equipment could be used by Chinese intelligence services. (AP, AFP, RTHK staff)