By Wu Yuehe
China never backtracks on its words. From June 1 on, the country’s imposition of additional tariffs on 60 billion dollars worth of US imports will take effect, as a counter-measure against Washington’s move to increase tariffs on 200 billion dollars worth of Chinese goods from 10 percent to 25 percent.
China has also released a message to the world that it will establish a list of unreliable entities based on relevant laws and regulations.
Foreign enterprises, organizations and individuals that do not comply with market rules, violate the spirit of contract, block or cut supplies to Chinese firms with non-commercial purposes, and seriously damage the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, will be added to the list of unreliable entities.
China strikes back at what that makes it suffer. It is imperative to take decisive counter-measures as the US has undermined China’s industrial chain and supply chain security by adding more Chinese high-tech firms on the Entity List.
China’s Foreign Trade Law clearly stipulates that in the event that any country or region applies prohibitive, restrictive or other like measures on a discriminatory basis against China in respect of trade, China may, as the case may be, take counter-measures against the country or region in question.
The country’s Anti-monopoly Law and National Security Law also provide legal support for its counter-measures against the US. Obviously, China’s decision to establish the list of unreliable entities is a strong fist against the hegemonic moves of the US, and it is absolutely lawful!
In retrospect, the world could find that it was the US’ backtracking and extreme pressure on China that had frustrated the consultation process of the 11 rounds of China-US high-level economic and trade consultations.
On the contrary, China always adheres to principles and keeps it bottom line. In the face of rounds of tariff-driven attacks from Washington, China fought back with composure and dignity.
When Washington expressed its willingness to talk, China earnestly engaged in the consultations with the greatest sincerity. As the US initiated the trade war unilaterally, China was forced to take counter-attacks while remaining calm.
Facts speak louder than words. The US, which has repeatedly adopted unilateralism and protectionist practices recklessly and arbitrarily, has plagued the world.
The international community generally believes that through taking counter-measures, China is not only safeguarding its legitimate rights and interests, but also maintaining multilateralism and the global free trade system.
China has always had the sense of justice and followed the trend of the times. It has become an international consensus that China’s development and growth brings peace and prosperity to the world, not the risk of conflict.
The US cannot expect to always be at the top in technology, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told a conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
The Malaysian Prime Minister also called on countries to handle their relations with China, which is becoming increasingly stronger, through dialogue.
Countries with different ideologies must get along well with each other, he said, warning that conflict between the US and China would only lead to greater destruction.
Indeed, if the US is obsessed with unilateral trade moves, it will only be hit by “greater destruction”. According to US media reports, Washington’s trade policy has put American farmers on the verge of financial collapse.
Wall Street has also fallen victim to Washington’s unstable trade policy, as the escalation of the trade war has wiped out more than $1 trillion of stock market value.
Research carried out by US scholars on trade conflicts between 151 countries (34 developed countries included) from 1996 to 2014 has found that trade protectionism could create greater impact on developed countries. Therefore, it is totally groundless for some US politicians to assume that China will suffer heavier losses in trade disputes.
Strategic misjudgment is a big mistake in the arena of international relations. For the United States, what is really dangerous at the moment is not its trade deficit, but how it sees the issue. Some US politicians should open their eyes to see the fact that the world is not what they’ve imagined and China is never a country they should underestimate.
It is unpredictable how far some US politicians will go toward the wrong direction, but it is clear that China has enough strength, confidence, determination and willpower to fight the trade war to the end. Victory will eventually belong to the party that upholds justice.
