China won’t yield to US trade stick

China published a white paper on Monday on the facts about China-US economic and trade friction and China’s stance. With 36,000 Chinese characters and extensive content, the white paper lists the facts about bilateral trade and responds to all the questions that people are concerned about. Based on the principles of truth-seeking and persuasion through reasoning, the release of the white paper reflects the calmness of the Chinese government and society in the face of unprecedented trade pressure from the US.

The white paper has clarified the facts about the trade protectionist practices and bullying practices of the US administration, the damage to the global economy from the improper practices of the US administration, and China’s position.

The US has been making use of its powerful media to portray itself as the victim of unfair trade with China. In US media rhetoric, Washington is placed on a high moral ground and what it does adheres to norms. By laying out the facts, the white paper shows the real character of China-US trade and rectifies people’s false impressions. It tells readers why the US was irrational to launch a trade war against China and why the US moves will not serve its ends.

The outside world has been speculating about China’s attitude toward the trade war. Some believe China may give in and surrender to most of the US demands so as to end the trade war soon. Others think China will carry out infinite retaliations against the US or even launch an overall attack on US investment in China and do away with the business environment of US and Western companies operating in China, which would be a huge retrogression for its opening-up policy. The white paper’s answer to such speculation is that neither will occur.

China is a country that sticks to principle. This makes China strategically firm when facing pressure. Unprincipled compromise will only lead to worse scenarios. China is clear that reform and opening-up is vital to its development and retrogression on opening-up would be an irrational act of backwardness. That is why China has behaved in neither a cowardly or radical fashion but stuck to principles ever since the trade war started.

In the past few months when China-US trade friction was escalating, China exercised restraint and firm countermeasures. The US should have a clearer idea of China’s stance. There are fewer and fewer people who still believe China will yield to Washington’s trade stick.

We hope that the white paper will help US society and the international community gain a correct understanding of the facts about China-US trade and the logic of China’s stance.

We also hope that the Chinese public gets to know the causes and effects of the event and the steadiness of the Chinese government’s policies. No matter how long China-US trade conflicts last, China is doing what it should. China is honest and principled and a major trade power with intensive strengths. No one can take us down.