Trade war won’t help Washington ‘make America great again’

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he’s ready to impose tariffs on another $267 billion worth of Chinese goods on short notice, on top of the proposed tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports his administration is putting the final touches on. In effect, Trump is threatening to turn the US-China trade conflict into a full-blown trade war.

For long, the US has accused China of economic aggression, with the report released by the White House in June elucidating that accusation in detail. The US’ political intention behind propagating a new “China threat” theory is clear: it wants to implement unilateral and protectionist policies and intensify the Sino-US trade friction with the aim of hurting China.

Washington claims Beijing has launched six economic aggression policies that have undermined the US economy and national security, and threaten the global economy and innovative system. These policies, according to the US, are aimed at protecting the domestic market, expanding China’s share in the global market, controlling core natural resources, dominating the traditional manufacturing industry, acquiring key technologies and intellectual property from other countries, and promoting emerging hi-tech industry. The US also accuses China of stealing intellectual property and developing emerging industry with the help of a “distorted” industrial policy.

Since launching reform and opening-up four decades ago, China has been part of the global division of labor and has facilitated the transfer of developed countries’ manufacturing units. But China cannot be expected to solely focus on low-end labor-intensive manufacturing while neglecting the development of high-end industries.

So it has used its rapid economic growth and technological progress to upgrade its industrial structure.

Indeed, Sino-US economic relations face severe challenges. But it is unfair to attribute all the US’ economic problems to China.