China’s foreign ministry has criticised the the failure of the US to take advantage of opportunities for dialogue and negotiation to resolve ongoing trade frictions between the world’s two largest economies.
The Trump administration has just mooted a 25% tariff on Chinese imports worth approximately USD$50 billion yuan, prompting Beijing to respond with commensurate levies of their own, as well as file for dispute proceedings with the World Trade Organization.
With regard to the trade fracas that is rattling international markets, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang (耿爽) said on 4 April that “China and the US have maintained continual communications on trade issues.”
“With regard to promoting the use of dialogue and negotiation to resolve relevant problems, China has displayed full sincerity and undertaken a large volume of work,” said Geng.
“However, the most opportune time for the use of dialogue and negotiation to appropriately resolve problems has once again been missed by the United States.
“[We] hope that the US clearly recognises the situation, maintains rationality, listens to the voices of industry and commerce as well as the common people, and promptly abandons unilateralism and trade-protectionism, and uses dialogue and negotiation to resolve Sino-US trade disputes.
“At the same time we hope that negotiation between both parties will abide by international law and trade regulations, instead of US domestic law.
“We must achieve mutual respect and equal accord, instead of high-handed treatment with one party engaging in unilateral coercion…negotiation must embody mutual accommodation and give and take, instead of exorbitant demands and incessant hectoring.”
