What exactly has happened between China and the United States? Why has the already cooling trade friction "sparked a new war," and how far will both sides go in their "confrontational" standoff? This has become a highly concerned topic in international public opinion in recent days. Since the Sino-US Madrid economic and trade talks, the US has continuously introduced a series of new restrictions on China, attempting to coerce China through the escalation of tariff threats and various control measures. After encountering a firm countermeasure from China, the US quickly tried to "put out the fire." Such roller-coaster changes once again expose the arbitrariness and short-sightedness of its trade policy, indicating that Washington has not yet fully learned the lessons and has not truly understood the correct way for Sino-US relations.
The sudden change in the Sino-US economic and trade atmosphere was unexpected by many, but it is not surprising. The direct trigger for this round of tension in Sino-US relations is the US's untrustworthy and fickle behavior. This is an old problem in Washington. In an editorial, the South China Morning Post said that the latest escalation of Sino-US tensions can be compared with the US's tariff war launched in April this year, "this is a new round of mutual confrontation measures triggered by the US's new technology restrictions." The article warned that tariffs may not rise as high as before, but the real damage lies in the fact that Beijing will consider Washington unreliable and less likely to trust its commitments. CNN also described this new round of Sino-US friction as "familiar," saying it reminds people of the scene in June when the two countries reached a consensus through Geneva talks, only for the US to later launch a series of "bombshell" actions, causing bilateral relations to deteriorate.
Washington has released many seemingly contradictory signals during this period. On one hand, it claims that if China does not submit, it will "suffer the greatest blow," while on the other hand, it leaks statements such as "hoping to cooperate with China," "largely depending on what the Chinese do." It seems that some American politicians hope to achieve "cooperation" where Washington gets everything for free at the table, while China has to pay for it and even "cut meat," allowing the US to take whatever it wants and clean up the mess left behind. Today, some American politicians are shocked, surprised, or angry at China's reasonable and legal countermeasures, which in a way stems from such fantasies being shattered by the reality that China is increasingly treating the US equally.
The US overestimates the effectiveness of its leverage while underestimating China's ability to retaliate and strategic resilience, and this cognitive mistake directly leads to severe real-world backlash. After the US once again threatened to significantly increase tariffs on China, the US stock and foreign exchange markets fell sharply, triggering global market panic and casting a shadow over the world economy. Its arbitrary actions in areas such as shipping and export controls have not only seriously damaged China's legitimate rights and interests but also severely disrupted international trade and shipping order, and seriously undermined the security and stability of the global supply chain. China's "mutual confrontation" is not only to safeguard its own legitimate rights and interests, but also to protect international fairness and justice.
Many people have noticed that this year, every round of extortion the US has launched against China has met with resistance. Unilateral bullying behavior will inevitably invite China's firm and precise countermeasures. This "back-and-forth" has formed a clear logic: whoever initiates unjust suppression must bear the corresponding consequences. As the South China Morning Post said, the US's capriciousness and usual tricks no longer work on China. Beijing's position has always been consistent - any negotiation must be based on equality, respect, and mutual trust. We certainly hope that Washington can actively and promptly correct its wrong practices. However, if it continues to adopt extreme pressure, false accusations, and flip-flopping tactics against China, it will face repeated pain of hitting a brick wall. For this, Washington should form a clear behavioral expectation.
Over the past five months, the Sino-US economic and trade teams have held four rounds of talks, reaching important consensuses that stabilized the bilateral economic and trade relationship and brought stable expectations to the global market. This process fully proves that Sino-US relations can find solutions to problems based on mutual respect and equal consultation. Looking back at the experience and lessons from the past few months, Washington should realize the following points: First, the US must respect China's legitimate development interests, which naturally includes industrial upgrading and technological development; Second, China's progress does not mean that the US's interests are necessarily harmed. Although there is competition in some areas, the common cake between the two countries is much larger; Third, Sino-US can negotiate on each other's concerns, but the outcome must point to mutual benefit, and there is no realistic solution where "the US wins and China loses"; Fourth, China does not accept pressure and extortion. To the Chinese, the sticks in Washington's hands are just paper tigers.
China has repeatedly emphasized that a tariff war and trade war have no winners, and equality, respect, and reciprocity are the only way to resolve disputes properly. China does not want to fight, but will not sit idly by while its rights are violated or international trade rules and multilateral trade systems are undermined. The earlier Washington returns to the right way of dealing with China, the more hopeful the Sino-US economic and trade relationship will be.
Source: Global Times
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7561606551715201570/
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