The Chinese government struck out at the US over its probe into China’s “green technology” sector over the weekend, escalating a trade dispute over subsidies to clean energy technologies, writes Leslie Hook in Beijing.
The US investigation announced on Friday is the latest in a series of trade disputes and comes at a time when anti-China rhetoric in the US is rising, in advance of November’s midterm election. The probe follows a petition from the United Steelworkers union.
Zhang Guobao, China’s top energy official, said the probe was misguided and based on a desire by politicians to garner votes. “I was very much astonished at it, wondering what the United States wants,” he said on Sunday, according to state-run media.