China starts trade probes against USRIVALRY: ‘We know that these are merely symbolic investigations initiated by China, which is in fact the world’s most profligate disrupter of supply chains,’ a US official saidBloombergChina has started a pair of investigations into US trade practices, retaliating against similar probes by US President Donald Trump’s administration as the superpowers stake out positions before an expected presidential summit in May. “China expresses its strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to these actions,” a ministry spokesperson said in a statement, referring to the so-called Section 301 investigations initiated on March 11. US President Donald Trump, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30 last year. “We know that these are merely symbolic investigations initiated by China, which is in fact the world’s most profligate disrupter of supply chains and trade in green products. Relations are also dogged by lingering issues including China’s record trade surplus and US arms sales to Taiwan.

Source: Taipei Times March 28, 2026 18:29 UTC