MNI China Press Digest Mar 16: Trade Talks, Sino-US, Bonds

MNI (BEIJING) - Highlights from Chinese press reports on Monday:

• China will firmly defend its legitimate development rights and interests and promote dialogue to resolve differences in a responsible manner during the latest round of negotiations with the U.S. in France starting Sunday, the People’s Daily reported. The newspaper noted a key backdrop to this time is a potential resetting of U.S. trade policy following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on tariffs, as well as rising global economic instability amid Middle East tension.
• China has lodged representations with the U.S. regarding the Section 301 investigation initiated against China and 59 other economies citing the lack of a ban on the import of forced labour products, according to a statement by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce on Monday. China urged the U.S. to immediately correct its erroneous practices and reserve the right to take all necessary measures, as the U.S.’s attempt to construct trade barriers is highly unilateral, arbitrary, and discriminatory, and is a typical protectionist act, the ministry said. China, consistently opposed to forced labour, is one of the founding members of the International Labour Organization, and has ratified 28 international labour conventions, the statement added.
• The total issuance of panda bonds as of March 15 this year was CNY63.9 billion, a year-on-year increase of 108%, supported by the China-U.S. interest rate differential and rising demand for yuan assets, Securities Daily reported. Analysts noted increased participation from overseas institutions, including sovereign wealth funds and multinational corporations, which will also be supported by accelerating product innovation, with green panda bonds growing to align with the global trend of sustainable investment, the newspaper said.