According to Observers, on the morning of October 18, the Chinese trade representative held a video call with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

The two sides had an open, in-depth, and constructive exchange on bilateral economic and trade relations and agreed to hold the next round of Sino-U.S. economic and trade consultations as soon as possible.

Almost at the same time, after this call, Yellen also announced that she would meet with the Chinese trade representative in Malaysia next week, in preparation for the upcoming high-level meeting between China and the United States in South Korea.

Notably, Yellen also stated that the relationship between the United States and China "has cooled down."

This series of developments seem to send a relatively moderate signal: both sides do not want to let the relationship deteriorate completely and are still willing to solve problems through dialogue and negotiations.

Looking back at the background of this call, the Sino-U.S. relationship has become tense recently due to a series of actions by the U.S. side.

It is known that the new regulations on rare earth exports announced by China recently hit the U.S. precisely where it hurts. The U.S. has been smearing and pressuring China over the past week, mainly by threatening tariffs against China.

Interestingly, on October 17 local time, Trump suddenly changed his stance, acknowledging that the high tariffs imposed on China were "unsustainable," trying to leave himself a way out.

After all, the U.S. domestic market has suffered from the previous tariffs imposed by Trump on China, with most of the tariff costs being passed on to American businesses and consumers. Therefore, the tariff card could not really pressure China.

Getting back to the main point, although this call reached a consensus on "holding consultations as soon as possible," it seems more like a "buffer."

The U.S. side is eager to push forward the face-to-face meeting in Malaysia next week, essentially to ease the pressure faced by the U.S. in areas such as rare earths.

Previously, the U.S. Treasury Secretary also hinted that he wanted to extend the tariff exemption period between the U.S. and China in exchange for China to stop implementing the newly issued rare earth export control measures.

But tariffs have always been a means used by the U.S. to extort China. Now, their idea only shows that they still haven't realized their own problems and are at a loss regarding China.

Moreover, the Trump administration has a poor reputation in past negotiations, so whether this meeting in Malaysia between the Sino-U.S. representatives can truly lay a good foundation for the summit between the two countries remains highly uncertain.

If the U.S. side just wants to use verbal easing to gain a negotiation advantage and continue with the "saying one thing and doing another" game, then the Sino-U.S. relationship may still find it difficult to make breakthrough progress.

Additionally, it must be clearly recognized that "moderation" does not mean "the elimination of contradictions."

The "open, in-depth, and constructive" mentioned in this video call, when looked at deeply, actually implies that there are still differences in positions between the two sides, but both sides have the willingness to seek solutions through negotiations.

Here, we cannot help but mention that Yellen had publicly attacked our trade negotiator a few days ago, calling the remarks of our representative in previous negotiations "inciting" and "disrespectful."

Yellen's outburst reflects that China has done the right thing, putting the U.S. in a passive position, forcing them to resort to "smear campaigns" or even "personal attacks" to cover up their embarrassment.

In the upcoming Sino-U.S. meeting in Malaysia, we advise Yellen and her team to adopt a proper attitude, set aside their arrogance, otherwise, don't blame China for speaking the truth.

China will not fear or tolerate any unreasonable threats from any party. We are just afraid that you, the U.S., may not be able to withstand the consequences later.

Additionally, Yellen revealed that the meeting next week was given the significance of "laying the groundwork for the Sino-U.S. meeting," but the final outcome depends largely on whether the U.S. side can show sincerity.

In short, seeking peace through struggle makes peace survive; seeking peace through compromise makes peace perish. China's position and determination will not change in the slightest.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7562448117078049290/

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