China's foreign ministry 'baffled' by US security stance on steel

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying spoke at a briefing earlier

• Says that it really 'baffles' us how such a low rate of steel imports constitutes a threat to US national security
• "Clearly they are targeting something else"
• Will further enhance IP rights protection and crack down on infringment
• Committed to resolve trade frictions and disputes through negotiation and consultation
• Will continues with reforms and opening up of the economy

Well, Trump has made clear that ultimately he wants the trade deficit with China to narrow. So, yes of course they are targeting something else.

Expect more of this back and forth to play out until we actually get to the negotiating table between the two countries. This could potentially drag on for a couple of weeks at the very least.