‘China has low expectations for trade agreement ahead of talks’

BEIJING: China has low expectations that a trade agreement can be reached soon as it heads into high-level talks with the US later this week, according to an editorial in the Communist Party-run Global Times newspaper.

“There are obviously many trade differences between the two countries, the attitude of the United States is not sincere, the area of conflict is growing broader, and strategic mutual distrust is increasing,” the piece said.

“The United States has always emphasised its strengths, but the problem is that its actual advantage is far from supporting its demands on China, and Washington seems to have not understood this.”

The editorial brushed off the country’s decision this week to blacklist Chinese companies connected to the mass detention of Muslims in the country’s far west region of Xinjiang. This is an old strategy of exerting maximum pressure ahead of talks and would have little impact on the focus or will of the Chinese side, it said.

“China has already seen many US cards. It is completely unrealistic for the United States to surprise China with a new card,” said the editorial, published Tuesday evening in Chinese and English.

“No matter how many bargaining chips the United States adds to the trade war, China is prepared for them.”

A separate article Tuesday on the state media-connected blog Taoran Notes was also less than optimistic about the negotiations, but emphasised that it was necessary to continue talking – even if the United States was to impose more tariffs.

The United States will remain aggressive, while China will continue “defensively counterattacking” and should focus on doing its own thing, the article said.

“There are more solutions than difficulties, as long as you maintain a resilient spirit,” it concluded.

China has already seen many US cards. It is completely unrealistic for the United States to surprise China with a new card .

Global Times