Chinese envoy to Kenya defends trade dispute in Huawei saga

The Chinese ambassador to Kenya Wu Peng has defended the ongoing trade dispute between China and the USA.

Speaking during a luncheon which was hosted by the Kenya Editors Guild, Peng said China will defend its industries despite the accusations levelled against them.

The US last week banned Huawei accusing it on spying, which saw key US tech firms such as Google announce that they will lock out Huawei out of their operating systems.

Peng termed USA’s actions as attempts to enter extreme pressure, terming it as irresponsible. He further added that it can “only lead to a counterattack.”

“Consultation is not a one way script and takes responsibility to make consultation meaningful,” said Peng. “China will fight too the end through this trade war.”

Peng brushed off Kenyan media’s focus on the dispute, saying that the media needs to focus to Kenya’s development too.

However, sections of Kenyan media have come up to defend the coverage, citing USA and China’s economic power.

“When two biggest economies in the world are at loggerheads. What does this mean? It has to be a concern to countries such as Kenya,” said Joe Ageyo, the Editorial Director at Royal Media Services.

“No doubt that China is a big player in every part of the world. It seems to me China is here to stay. China is here in a big way. Hence it’s good to talk about it,” he added

Earlier this month, the United States escalated a tariff war with China by hiking levies on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods in the midst of last-ditch talks to rescue a trade deal.

US president Donald Trump issued orders for the tariff increase, saying China “broke the deal” by renouncing earlier commitments made during months of negotiations.