The U.S. is blaming the current trade tensions on China, saying China is the reason for the two sides not being able to reach an agreement. China’s Foreign Ministry hit back at the comment, blaming the U.S. has reneged on previous consultations and dialogues.
Is the ball in Beijing or Washington’s court to prevent a further escalation of trade tensions?
The British magazine Economist commented that “American’s president reckons trade wars are easy to win, so easy that he has started several.”
U.S. President Donald Trump applied tariffs on solar panels, washing machines, steel and aluminum this year. Imports worth nearly 300 billion U.S. dollars are also threatened. In addition, Trump also announced more measures including tariffs on cars, mainly from China.
But the President is now blaming the current trade tensions on America's trading partners rather than his own administration's unreasonable tariffs, according to articles from The Economist and The Financial Times.
Professor John Gong from the University of International Business and Economics said that it might be because the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross failed to reach an agreement with China in June.
“He [Wilbur Ross] went back to (the) U.S., asking approval from Donald Trump. But he is not happy with the deal, and he wants to keep going on the tariff thing. That is the disconnection here,” observed Professor Gong.
Professor Gong also mentioned U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin’s visit to China. “There is a list from (the) U.S. government that they manage China to implement. There is no way China can stick on that list. This is impossible.”
Professor Gong said that it is hard to define who is controlling the ball, but he calls on the two sides to come back to the negotiating table and talk, as “the longer we drag on the trade war thing, (the) more (the) damage will be imposed on the world economy.”
'Stop acting as if they were the Don Quixote of the 17th century'
After the U.S. placed blame for trade tensions on China last Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry hit back by saying that “those in the U.S. should drag themselves out of their quixotic fantasy and stop acting as if they were the Don Quixote of the 17th century.”
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said that China's position and attitude on the trade issue with the U.S. is consistent and clear.
“We have all the confidence, assurance, conditions and capabilities we need to ensure our legitimate and lawful rights and to uphold international rules and the multilateral trading system along with other countries,” Hua said.
Professor Gong commented that the Spokeswoman is referring to the fact that the U.S. is at war with all its allies.
“This is a situation where U.S. is really alone,” said Professor Gong. “When we have a president like him, engaging this disasters and against everyone on earth, he is definitely on the wrong side."
