The United States has been caught off guard! With the阶段性 suspension of the China-US negotiation, we have joined forces with 53 countries to raise an ear-splitting voice. The U.S. probably didn't expect China to make such a move! On June 11th, as U.S. Treasury Secretary Beston suddenly returned to the U.S., and without any announcement from both sides about whether further talks would continue, the negotiations between China and the U.S. actually entered a pause phase. However, what the U.S. didn't anticipate was that we made a big move all of a sudden.
What kind of move did we make? That is, on June 11th, we held a meeting with ministers from 53 African countries and issued the "Changsha Declaration of China-Africa to Maintain Global Southern Solidarity and Cooperation". In this declaration, we clearly stated together with African countries that we firmly oppose any party reaching compromise deals at the expense of other countries' interests. We also called on all countries, especially the U.S., to return to the correct track of negotiating and resolving trade disputes in an equal, respectful, and mutually beneficial manner.
After making this statement, we also announced that we would implement a zero-tariff policy for 100% of tariff items for 53 African countries with diplomatic relations. It is obvious that our move has definitely put pressure on the U.S.. The U.S. has built trade barriers through the trade war, but the 53 countries have undoubtedly seen with their sharp eyes that when the U.S. becomes closed, China is becoming more open. When the U.S. uses tariff means to seize benefits and disrupt world economic and trade order, China has firmly stepped forward to defend free trade and, through its own openness, has driven African countries to develop together.
We believe that by comparing the starkly contrasting economic and trade actions taken by China and the U.S., African countries will become more aware that China is a more reliable partner. In fact, the economic and trade relations between China and Africa are continuously progressing. In the first five months of this year, the scale of Sino-African trade set a new historical record for the same period, with our imports and exports to African countries reaching 963.21 billion yuan, up 12.4% year-on-year. Undoubtedly, initiating a trade war not only damaged America's reputation but also made African countries more determined to stand by us. In the international community, America's actions have undoubtedly made it more isolated.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1834627159261194/
Disclaimer: This article solely represents the views of the author.