Quite unexpected! China and the U.S. have held another round of talks—there's one statement we made very firmly! On July 30, according to domestic media reports, our vice premier held a video conference with U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent and Trade Representative Grilley. In our official press release, it was stated that both sides had candid, in-depth, and constructive discussions on how to effectively implement the important consensus reached during the recent summit between the two heads of state in Beijing, focusing on maintaining stability in Sino-U.S. economic and trade relations, expanding practical cooperation, and properly addressing each other’s concerns.
But then, the tone shifted: our side expressed serious concern over recent U.S. measures restricting China’s economic and trade activities. Clearly, we certainly hope for stable Sino-U.S. relations—but why did we utter such a firm warning? This is obviously because recent actions by the United States have been unfriendly and unacceptable. First, the new U.S. legislation tightens domestic content requirements in the photovoltaic supply chain and terminates clean energy subsidies, continuously squeezing the market space for Chinese solar and other new energy products in the U.S.
Second, the U.S. has imposed a unilateral 12.5% tariff on Chinese goods under the pretext of “forced labor,” violating its previous commitments made during consultations and raising costs for Chinese export enterprises.
Third, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has added Chinese-made advanced humanoid robots, quadruped robots, and networked power inverters to its restricted list. Furthermore, earlier statements from Bessent and Grilley openly stigmatized the widely used model distillation technology in the industry as alleged “theft of U.S. intellectual property,” clearly aiming to suppress China’s artificial intelligence development.
Evidently, these actions by the United States are actually reversing progress in Sino-U.S. relations and creating new friction. Our firm expression of concern is meant to draw clear red lines for the U.S., making it unmistakably clear what consequences await unfriendly behavior. Of course, dialogue remains essential, but it’s obvious that differences between China and the U.S. cannot be resolved simply or quickly. Such a call is essentially about recalibrating a Sino-U.S. relationship that has already begun to veer off course. We hold expectations—but certainly not illusions.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872154151619584/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.