Pence, China’s leader duel at trade meeting
Both try to assure allies of stands on tariffs, strategies
SYDNEY — President Xi Jinping of China and Vice President Mike Pence pushed back against criticism of each of their countries’ trade practices in speeches Saturday at an Asia-Pacific trade summit in Papua New Guinea, while seeking to assure allies of their commitment to the region.
Xi and Pence spoke before what is likely to be a tense meeting between President Donald Trump and the Chinese leader at the Group of 20 conference in Argentina later this month, where they will attempt to defuse a trade war.
Xi may also be looking to shore up ties with an important trading partner, North Korea. He told President Moon Jae-in of South Korea on the sidelines of the trade forum that he was considering visiting the North after its leader, Kim Jong Un, extended an invitation, according to a spokesman for Moon.
The Trump administration has accused China of unfair trade practices, including restricting market access, pushing U.S. companies to hand over valuable technology and engaging in cyberespionage and intellectual property theft. It has put tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods; China has retaliated with tariffs of its own.
Pence, echoing warnings from Trump, said the United States could “more than double” the tariffs it had placed on $250 billion in Chinese goods.
“The United States, though, will not change course until China changes its ways,” Pence said.
China has offered a list of concessions in recent days, which Trump has called “not acceptable.”
Pence and Xi spoke at the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. The 21 Pacific Rim countries and territories participating in the APEC forum account for 60 percent of the global economy.
Pence, appearing in Trump’s place, reiterated recent criticism of China’s geopolitical strategies and attacked the country’s “belt and road” initiative, an enormous infrastructure plan financed by China that spans some 70 countries.
He urged Asian nations to avoid investment offers from China and to choose instead a “better option” — working with the United States, which, he said, would not saddle them with debt, a quandary some countries are facing as a result of their partnerships with Beijing.
“Let me say to all the nations across this wider region, and the world: Do not accept foreign debt that could compromise your sovereignty,” Pence said.
“We don’t drown our partners in a sea of debt,” he added. “We don’t coerce or compromise your independence. We do not offer a constricting belt or a one-way road. When you partner with us, we partner with you, and we all prosper.”
Xi, perhaps anticipating the criticism, spoke before Pence and disputed the notion that accepting Chinese investment as part of the initiative called “One Belt, One Road” would compromise a nation’s sovereignty.
The initiative “is not for geopolitical purposes; it will exclude no one; it will not close a door and create a small circle,” Xi said. “It is not the so-called trap, as some people say. It is the sunshine avenue where China shares opportunities with the world to seek common development.”