BEIJING, June 26 (Reuters) - China's recent notice saying government agencies should procure locally made products when possible in government-backed projects was not a protectionist measure aimed at excluding foreign firms, two Chinese ministries said in a joint statement on Friday.
China's trade ministry and the economic planning agency said Beijing, in issuing the notice in early June, had sought to stop what it considered to be discriminatory practices against local firms.
"It is a misunderstanding for some international media to interpret it as a trade protectionist measure of 'buying Chinese products'," according to the statement.
The World Bank last week criticized the policy, saying it ran counter to the leadership Beijing had previously shown in fighting protectionism. (Reporting by Zhou Xin and Jason Subler; Editing by Ken Wills)