HONG KONG/BEIJING (April 7): China's Vice Commerce Minister Ling Ji told US companies including Tesla and GE Healthcare that the country would always protect the rights of foreign-funded firms in China, including those from the US.

China has been, is, and will be an "ideal, safe, and promising investment ground for foreign investors", Ling said at a round-table meeting in Beijing on Sunday with more than 20 US-funded companies.

The comments from Ling, also China’s deputy trade negotiator, suggest Beijing has no plans to penalise US companies, even as US President Donald Trump escalates a tariff war with the rest of the world including China.

Citing Ling, China's Commerce Ministry said in a statement on Monday that it would protect the "legitimate rights and interests of foreign-funded enterprises in accordance with the law, and actively promote the resolution of foreign-funded enterprises' problems and demands".

"The abuse of tariffs on all trading partners, including China, has seriously damaged the rules-based multilateral trading system," Ling said, adding that the root of the tariff dispute "lies in the US".

Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged a gathering of multinational chief executive officers in Beijing to protect global industry and supply chains.

Xi said foreign firms contribute one-third of China's imports and exports and have also created more than 30 million jobs, stressing their value to the world's second-biggest economy.

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