China flays US comments on trade

CHINA yesterday refuted the remarks made by a senior US official who blamed China for the bilateral trade dispute, saying his words distorted the facts.

According to reports, Larry Kudlow, head of the White House Economic Council, said the United States and China failed to reach an agreement to resolve the trade dispute, and China should take the responsibility for that.

He said China could end the US tariffs by providing a more satisfactory approach.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a news briefing that Kudlow’s remark distorted the facts and is astonishing and beyond imagination.

The arbitrary and unreasonable decisions and discreditable behaviors of the US are the direct and fundamental reason for the dispute, Hua said.

China has made utmost efforts to push for a resolution to the issue through dialogue and consultation and avoid escalation of the trade dispute, Hua said.

The US behavior will only seriously damage its own reputation, and it is completely unhelpful to resolving the issue, she said.

“We have confidence and enough capabilities to safeguard our legitimate interests, and make joint efforts with other countries to maintain international rules and the multilateral trading system,” she said.

On Wednesday, Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai said China will not yield to trade bullying and “maximum pressure” by the US government.

In an article published in USA Today, Cui said China showed “maximum sincerity and patience” to engage in four rounds of high-level economic talks with the US from February to June this year.

“Unfortunately, the US has betrayed its own words. It brazenly abandoned bilateral consensus and insisted on fighting a trade war with China, forcing us to take countermeasures,” he said.

China, on the other hand, will continue its reform and openingup, he said, citing some recent major steps.

“Tariffs on 1,500 types of consumer goods have been lowered considerably. The import tariff on automobiles has been cut from 25 percent to 15 percent. The revised negative list for foreign investment released late last month substantially eased market access restrictions for foreign investors. In November, China will host our first International Import Expo in Shanghai,” he said.

“With all of this as a backdrop, it is absolutely beyond our understanding that the US government initiated the trade war with such determination,” said Cui. “Does the US government genuinely believe China would possibly yield to such unreasonable policy?”

“Anyone familiar with Chinese history knows that ‘maximum pressure’ doesn’t work for our nation,” he said. “Trade bullying will only backfire. There is no winner in a trade war. The US will only end up hurting itself and the world.”

China’s policy has long been geared toward dialogue and consultation when attempting to resolve trade disputes, the Chinese diplomat said.

“To be sure, there is room for China to improve its trade policy and address structural economic issues. We certainly are open to addressing reasonable American concerns,” he said. “But the two sides should conduct dialogue and cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and trust.”

“For great powers like China and the US, competition — even conflict — is natural. It is, however, vital for us to manage such competition in an effective and constructive way,” Cui said.

He said China’s economic success “has never been achieved by stealing from anyone, and never will be.”

In the article, Cui rebutted the US government’s accusations of China forcing technology transfers and stealing intellectual property rights.

He wrote that China is “strategically committed to and has recently made demonstrably significant strides” in IPR protection.

“We have codified a robust IPR protection legal system, including setting up IPR courts and dedicated tribunals that enhance the dominant role of the judiciary in IPR protection,” he said.

“Indeed, improving IPR protection is crucial to China’s own development, particularly technological innovation,” stressed the Chinese diplomat.

On alleged “forced technology transfer,” Cui said, “Let’s be clear: The Chinese government has never made any such request to foreign companies.”