China says ‘ball is in US court’ amid trade frictions

China will not concede to US tactics, and the “ball is always in the US’ court,” Chinese officials and experts stressed on Thursday amid trade frictions between China and the US, after US President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser accused China of stalling efforts to resolve a growing trade dispute.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a Thursday press conference that China has been pushing forward to resolving differences with the greatest amount of sincerity and patience, and has tried its best to avoid an escalation in trade frictions.

White House National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said in an interview with the VOA Thursday that China refused to amend the country’s technology transfer and other trade policies. He also said that it is China that

does not want to make a deal and is holding the game up, and that he believes the ball is in China’s court.

Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Gao Feng said at a press briefing on Thursday that it was US’ unreliability and failure to keep its word that closed the door for bilateral negotiations.

“Various US officials claimed that China is responsible for the collapse in negotiations. This is not consistent with the facts,” Gao said, pointing to several rounds of talks between Chinese and US officials that at one point even led to an agreement to avert a trade war.

Hua also said that although it is globally recognized that the US has always failed to keep its word, it is still shocking to see a US official muddy the situation in front of the whole world.

“The US should realize that this is the 21th century, when globalization has deepened and that it is facing China this time around. The US should stop playing Don Quixote,” Hua said.

Shi Yinhong, director of Renmin University of China’s Center for American Studies, said that “China had made huge efforts in previous negotiations with the US, but China will never give in to the US’ common tactics.”

Trump’s attempt to change China’s economic system will never succeed and China will never make reforms under US pressure, Shi said.

Wang Yiwei, director of Renmin University of China’s Institute of International Affairs, told the Global Times that the US designed the WTO rules and standards of developing countries. But having witnessed China’s progress in technology and economy, it is now accusing China of violating market regulations and destroying the rules.

“Its inconsistent attitude shows its failure to admit China’s development has surpassed its expectations,” Wang said.

Innovation leader

A total of 3.1 million patent applications were filed worldwide in 2016, an increase of 8.3 percent over the number in 2015. About 1.3 million patent applications were filed with China’s State Intellectual Property Office, a record at any patent office in a single year, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The number of patent applications made by China in 2016 is greater than the combined total filed in 2016 in the US, Japan, South Korea and Europe, the report said.

Wang urged the US to prove that China violated intellectual property rules and forced US companies in China to hand over technology secrets.

Hua said on Wednesday’s press conference that “every innovation we have today was achieved through the collective wisdom of our 1.3 billion people and hard work and not by stealing.”

She also noted that former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers got it right when he said that Chinese companies’ leadership in some technologies is not the result of stealing from the US. It’s coming from terrific scientists in basic science.