China’s commerce ministry urged the United States to halt widening outbound-investment restrictions, saying the move would disrupt trade ties.

The U.S. proposal would cover biotechnology and extend to semiconductors, AI, quantum tech, high-performance computing, and hypersonic systems; rules are in the proposal stage and open to public feedback.

Mao Ning described Steinmeier as an old friend of the Chinese people and said the visit could strengthen mutual trust, deepen cooperation, and spur joint innovation between China and Germany.

China and Germany are major partners; in 2025, China was Germany’s top trading partner, with bilateral goods trade at €251.8 billion, up 2.1% from the year before.

The article notes the U.S. proposals were issued on a Thursday, with the Chinese statement coming ahead of a weekend reply.

Beijing called the proposal discriminatory and an overbroad use of national-security concerns, and said China will monitor the situation and reserve the right to countermeasures.

Beijing did not provide concrete timelines or countermeasures beyond indicating potential responses.

The piece places the dispute within broader U.S.–China economic and security tensions and highlights ongoing high-level engagement between the two powers.

China urged the U.S. to respect market principles, stop politicizing or weaponizing economic issues, and avoid overreach of national-security concepts to foster a favorable environment for cooperation.

Mao Ning criticized discriminatory investment controls and urged the U.S. to respect market principles while China safeguards its rights, without detailing possible measures.

Beijing warned it may respond with corresponding measures if the U.S. proceeds, stressing potential damage to economic and trade ties and U.S. corporate interests.

The U.S. says the restrictions aim to ensure capital isn’t used by adversaries to develop dual-use technologies, with current focus on China’s semiconductors, quantum tech, and AI.