Breaking: China NPC spokesman says China will firmly defend its interests if US undermines them

"China never starts trouble and never flinches when trouble comes its way," speaker for the National People’s Congress (NPC), Zhang Yesui, said on Thursday, as reported by Global Times. "China will firmly defend its interests if the US does things that undermine China's core interests," Zhang Yesui added.

Market reaction

These comments seem to be weighing on market sentiment. As of writing, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.03% on the day while the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 were erasing 0.38% and 0.6%, respectively.

Reflecting the negative shift in the market mood, the US Dollar Index pushed higher and was last seen gaining 0.23% on the day at 99.40.