China urges US to provide fair business environment for firms from all countries: spokesman

China called on the United States to provide a fair and just business environment for enterprises from all countries, including Chinese-funded enterprises, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

He Yadong, the spokesman, was responding to a question at a press conference in Beijing about U.S. President Donald Trump signing an executive order that delays the effective date for a ban of Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok ban while advocating for 50 percent U.S. ownership of TikTok's parent company ByteDance.

"China has always respected and safeguarded the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises and opposed practices that violate the basic principles of a market economy and harm the legitimate interests of these enterprises. We hope that the U.S. will listen more to the voices of enterprises and the public, provide a fair and just business environment for enterprises from all countries, including Chinese-funded enterprises, to thrive in the U.S., and take actions that promote economic and trade cooperation between China and the U.S. for the well-being of both peoples," said He.