Trade War Is the Wrong Prescription for Sino-US Relations: China’s Foreign Minister

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The head of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sought to assuage concerns about the possibility of a trade war with the United States.

Addressing the topic of Sino-US trade frictions at a press conference for China’s Two Sessions on 8 March, Wang Yi (王毅) said that “the lessons of history have proven that waging trade wars has never been the right path for resolving problems.”

“Especially in today’s globalised world, choosing a trade war is the wrong prescription, and the results will only be to hurt others and harm ourselves.

“China must make the correct and necessary decision… as two major nations whose interests are highly integrated, and as the world’s largest and second largest economies, China and the United States must bear their duties to both their peoples, as well as bear their duties to the nations of the world.

“Both parties should sit down calmly, and jointly find a mutually beneficial, win-win solution via equal and constructive dialogue.

“As the world’s largest developing nation and the world’s largest developed nation, Sino-US cooperation will enrich both countries, and will also benefit the world.

“If there is competition between China and the US, then this should be positive and beneficial competition, which is also very normal during the course of international exchanges.

“In other words, China and the US can compete, but it’s not necessary for us to be adversaries, there is instead a greater need for us to be partners.”

Wang’s remarks arrive just as politburo member Liu He declared that China and the US hope to avoid a trade war, after he made an official visit to Washington to ease escalating trade tensions.