China firmly opposes US hyping up so-called 'Chinese overcapacity': spokesman

China firmly opposes the United States hyping up the so-called "Chinese overcapacity," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a press conference in Beijing on Monday.

Lin made the remarks in response to a media query about the recent hyping up of the rhetoric by some U.S. politicians.

"We have repeatedly made clear that hyping up the so-called 'Chinese overcapacity' deviates from objective facts and economic laws, serves as an excuse for protectionism, and aims to stifle China's high-quality development. We firmly oppose this," said Lin.

U.S. economic activity rose slightly in most districts, with three regions reporting no changes and one region experiencing a moderate decline, the U.S. Federal Reserve said in its Beige Book released on Thursday.

This indicates an improvement compared to the last three reporting periods, during which most regions reported little change in economic activity, according to the Beige Book.

It shows that the outlook for future activity is mildly optimistic, with most expecting slight to modest growth in the coming months.

Most banks reported that the consumer spending went up slightly over the holiday season, buoyed by strong spending from higher-income consumers. Employment was mostly unchanged in the most recent period, with eight of the twelve districts reporting no changes in hiring. Prices grew at a moderate rate across a large majority of districts, with only two districts reporting slight price growth, the survey said.

Cost pressures resulting from tariffs were a consistent theme across all districts, it said.

The Beige Book, officially known as the Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District, is a survey on economic conditions based on information collected from its 12 regional reserve banks. It is published eight times per year.