HONG KONG — Chinese government agencies, including the Ministry of Commerce, summoned Walmart representatives this week after the U.S. retailer urged suppliers in China to offset President Donald Trump’s tariffs with substantial price cuts, according to Beijing’s state media.
A post on Wednesday by Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account linked to state broadcaster CCTV, said the retailer was called in the previous day. It said that Walmart’s alleged demands on Chinese suppliers risk “disrupting the supply chain and harming the interests of businesses in both China and the U.S., as well as American consumers,” and thus may “breach commercial contracts and undermine the stability of market transactions.”