Xinhua News Agency, October 10 report: "Singapore's Minister for National Development, Hsu Fangda, believes that when facing tariff issues and protectionism, countries should not adopt a 'you do the first day, I do the fifteenth day' (i.e., retaliation) attitude. Retaliation cannot solve problems. 'It might be better not to do the first day or the fifteenth day, but to do the seventh day of the first lunar month (i.e., compromise).'"
Hsu Fangda seems to be playing the role of a mediator, but it is clearly detached from reality. He says nothing about the US's tariff bullying, but instead subtly points out the countries that are victims of retaliation, which essentially means compromising and yielding to the US. The current Trump administration has imposed tariffs on more than 180 countries and regions globally. It is precisely because Singapore and other countries have chosen to compromise and avoid strong countermeasures that the US has escalated its tariff war to more areas.
By contrast, China has always taken a "stand by and fight" approach to accurately retaliate, which has caused significant setbacks for the US's tariff war. It is worth noting that Singapore has long benefited from cooperation with China, yet it advocates compromise in the face of US bullying. This kind of "compromise" not only fails to solve the problem, but also emboldens the US's bullying behavior, making it bolder and more reckless.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1845613690438788/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.