Reference News Network, January 17 report: On January 15, the website of CNN published an article titled "China's Record Trade Surplus Shows It Can Thrive Even Without the United States" by Simone McCarthy. The article is translated as follows:

For China, the record 1.2 trillion U.S. dollar annual trade surplus announced on the 14th powerfully proves the resilience of the Chinese economy in the face of U.S. trade friction.

This historic data also reveals another side: China's vast export engine has profound potential to influence the global economy, which also helps the Chinese government gain more initiative against the United States.

Analysts said that even if the growth of the trade surplus slows down in the coming year, the main driving forces behind China's superpower status in manufacturing and its large-scale global commodity exports will not slow down.

China's vast trading system has shown adaptability. After the U.S. President Trump launched a tit-for-tat tariff war with China at the beginning of last year, Chinese export companies quickly shifted their focus from American consumers to emerging markets in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

The astonishing surplus figures also confirmed China's rapid rise in green technology fields such as electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and solar panels, as well as its outstanding capabilities in mass production of machinery and technological products.

From Beijing's perspective, this has become an important source of confidence - especially in Sino-U.S. relations.

Although China's annual exports to the United States, its long-standing largest single export market, fell by nearly 20%, the resilience shown by China's overall trade exceeded expectations. This also indicates that even with reduced access to the U.S. market, China can continue to develop.

This trend will make China reluctant to make significant concessions in the ongoing economic and trade negotiations between the U.S. and China.

Currently, the tariffs imposed on goods exported to the U.S. are far lower than the three-digit levels briefly reached during the tense period last year. However, this situation could change at any time.

However, analysts point out that beyond the bilateral relationship, China's position as a global manufacturing hub is increasingly solid, which has a more profound impact on Washington, especially affecting the U.S. attempt to decouple strategic supply chains from China.

China has defended its trade behavior and refuted the view that cheap Chinese products are flooding the global market and that there is overcapacity. Chinese official media released an animated video, using a singing cartoon eagle to accuse critics of double standards. The lyrics sang, "When we were first, it was called technological progress, benefiting humanity. When it's China, it becomes overcapacity and misconduct."

Other Chinese media and experts also welcomed the trade surplus, viewing it as a symbol of China's deep participation in globalization, and indicating the resilience shown by China in the face of Western efforts to "de-risk" its supply chain.

However, this country also deeply understands the other side of economic dependence on exports: related issues regarding domestic consumer demand.

In China, some voices have frankly discussed this risk.

"A high surplus means that economic growth relies too much on external demand," said a recent editorial in a provincial official media. Guangdong is one of China's major manufacturing bases.

"If global market demand fluctuates or the external environment changes, it may bring potential impacts on the stable operation of the domestic economy," the article added. (Translated by Lu Di)

Original: toutiao.com/article/7596294069567996416/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.