China rejects trade criticism after Merz backs global yuan action

China pushed back against criticisms of its trade practices after the German chancellor became the latest world leader to voice complaints amid surging trade imbalances.

“China never actively pursues a trade surplus,” Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang said on Monday at the opening of a supply-chain expo in Beijing.

“The greatest obstacle to China increasing its imports does not lie within itself, but rather with certain countries that abuse export controls. ” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday...