Beijing: Trump admin lacks ‘objectivity’ in dealing with Chinese businesses

China questioned on Thursday the “objectivity and credibility” of an assessment by the U.S. Trade Representative listing several Chinese companies as “notorious markets.”

The Associated Press reported that Gao Feng, a spokesman for the Chinese Commerce Ministry, said the decision to target three Chinese online commerce platforms and six physical bazaars was unfounded.

“We have to question the objectivity and credibility of the relevant U.S. department in issuing its report,” Gao said, according to the AP. “The Chinese government has always attached great importance to the protection of intellectual property, the results of which are obvious to all.”

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The criticism came after the U.S. Trade Representative issued its Notorious Markets list, in which the office accused the companies of harming U.S. businesses and copyright holders. 

One of the companies named on that list was Taobao, the online marketplace owned by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. Michael Evans, the president of Alibaba Group, said the assessment was a “deeply flawed, biased and politicized process.”

“In light of all this, it’s clear that no matter how much action we take and progress we make, the [U.S. Trade Representative] is not actually interested in seeing tangible results,” he said, according to the AP.