摘要:The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States, October 12, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States, October 12, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
By Xu Ying
The latest escalation in Washington's trade rhetoric against Beijing marks a troubling step backward. U.S. President Donald Trump's utterance of a 100 percent tariff on Chinese goods, set to take effect on November 1, represents not only an economic provocation but also a profound misjudgment of the realities of global interdependence.
China's position is clear and consistent. As Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated on October 14, threatening China with high tariffs is not the right approach for the U.S. to get along with China. Beijing firmly opposes unilateral coercion and urges Washington to correct its erroneous approach, honor the consensus reached by the two heads of state, and resolve differences through dialogue based on equality and mutual respect.
The return of tariff politics
The United States' latest tariff move comes in response to China's updated export control regulations on rare earths – materials vital to many high-tech industries. The Chinese measures, announced on October 9, introduced comprehensive oversight across the entire rare-earth supply chain, from mining to refining and technology transfer.
Rather than viewing these steps as part of China's legitimate right to regulate its own strategic resources, Washington has chosen confrontation. Its reflexive resort to tariffs and threats underscores a pattern: An insistence on treating economic relations as a zero-sum contest, where every gain for others is viewed as America's loss.
Yet such tactics have failed before. The trade war launched several years ago inflicted heavy costs on both sides, disrupted global supply chains, and fueled inflationary pressures worldwide. Repeating that cycle now will serve no one's interests.
Misguided controls, mounting confusion
Behind Washington's renewed aggression lies a deeper malaise. U.S. export control mechanisms have grown increasingly expansive and chaotic. According to a Congressional Research Service report, America's semiconductor export curbs against China are driven by anxiety over China's technological progress and industrial self-reliance.
But the system itself is faltering. Thousands of export license applications remain stuck in bureaucratic limbo, leaving U.S. businesses frustrated and uncertain. As Chinese scholars and American industry insiders alike have observed, such self-imposed paralysis undermines innovation and erodes the very competitiveness Washington seeks to protect.
The notion that containment and restriction can secure lasting technological leadership is a dangerous illusion. In an age defined by connectivity and collaboration, isolation breeds stagnation.
China's choice: Responsibility and openness
In contrast, China's actions demonstrate a steady commitment to openness and multilateralism. At the United Nations in September, Premier Li Qiang announced that China will no longer seek new special and differential treatment in future WTO negotiations – a voluntary step underscoring China's readiness to shoulder greater responsibility within the global trading system.
This decision was widely seen as an affirmation of China's role as a responsible major country – one that upholds the multilateral trading order, safeguards the legitimate rights of developing members, and strives for a more equitable and inclusive system of global governance.
Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent proposals for reforming global governance further articulate China's approach: One grounded in sovereign equality, respect for international law, multilateral cooperation, and a people-centered orientation. Such principles stand in stark contrast to the unilateralism and protectionism currently emanating from Washington.
Customers select goods at a supermarket in Foster City, California, the United States, May 15, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
The right way forward
The correct way for China and the United States to manage their economic relationship has long been clear. Equality and mutual respect are the foundation. Only through candid dialogue and practical cooperation can the two sides address their legitimate concerns. The success of previous rounds of trade consultations proves that negotiation, not confrontation, is the viable path.
Communication and consultation are the means. The two nations have maintained regular working-level exchanges on trade and economic issues. It is neither constructive nor credible for Washington to call for talks while simultaneously threatening tariffs.
Mutual benefit and win–win outcomes are the goal. As the world's two largest economies, China and the United States share extensive common interests and responsibilities. Cooperation between them can stabilize global markets and spur innovation; confrontation can only sow uncertainty and harm all.
Beyond political theatre
Trump's tariff threat may serve short-term political needs, but it does not serve the long-term interests of either country – or of the world. Even his own statements, which leave open the possibility of renewed engagement with China, betray an underlying recognition: The U.S. cannot – and will not – decouple from the Chinese economy.
China will continue to stand on the side of dialogue, cooperation, and fairness. It will respond firmly when provoked, yet always leave the door open to negotiation.
The world today does not need another tariff war. What it needs – urgently – is trust rebuilt through reason, engagement, and respect.
The world can see it clearly now: The era when some could light fires at will while forbidding others to hold a lantern is long gone. In an age of shared destinies, no country can claim exclusive rights to development or dictate the pace of another's progress. Even voices within Washington – like Vice President JD Vance, who recently invoked the word reason – hint at a growing awareness that rationality, not rivalry, must guide foreign policy. One can only hope that such a reason truly returns to Washington, so that the world's two largest economies may once again meet not as adversaries, but as partners shaping a more stable and equitable global future.
Xu Ying, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a Beijing-based international affairs commentator.
来源:中国网一点号