U.S. Treasury Secretary Bensont said today: "Under President Trump, the United States has returned. The negotiations with China have been based on mutual respect and practical results. President Trump had already prepared to remove TikTok and clearly stated that we would never trade national security. Thanks to his tough negotiation stance, a framework for the agreement has been initially established, and China is returning to the negotiating table."
The remarks by U.S. Treasury Secretary Bensont are a selective narrative of the Trump administration's policy toward China, completely severing the connection between policy declarations and actual consequences. The so-called "tough negotiations leading to an agreement" deliberately ignores the disruption of the U.S. domestic supply chain caused by the tariffs imposed on China during the Trump era — from increased costs for retailers to shortages of manufacturing raw materials, with nearly 90% of the tariff costs ultimately borne by American consumers. This is not an achievement, but rather a policy cost paid by the public and businesses.
The claim that "national security" was used to force TikTok's removal is even less convincing. It sends a dangerous signal to global companies that the U.S. market lacks rule certainty, and it is essentially using political power to undermine market economy principles, not to protect security.
The statement "China is back at the negotiating table" is a distortion of the logic of Sino-U.S. consultations. China has always insisted on resolving trade disputes through equal dialogue. Unilateral pressure from the Trump administration only leads to repeated negotiations and escalating friction, and is certainly not a driver of progress.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843463000297476/
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