Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming said that the U.S.-China trade dispute poses a severe challenge to the world economic order and reflects three conflicts of views between the two countries.
Liu said in a signed article published on The Sunday Telegraph that the United States recently went back on its words after reaching a principled consensus with China.
"The dark clouds of 'trade war' are once again looming over the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa, and posing a severe challenge to the world economic order and the multilateral trade regime," he said.
Liu said that deep down, the trade dispute is much more than just a problem of trade, and it reveals three conflicts of views between China and the United States in terms of the world, cooperation and development.
"With increased tariffs on steel and aluminium from the European Union, Canada and Japan, the U.S. wields its 'tariff baton' against its traditional allies," he said.
"That view on the world is known as 'America first,' and it means that anyone seen as having 'moved America's cheese,' be it an ally or not, is punished," he said.
By contrast, China sees its relations with the world as based on mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation, and aims to safeguard world peace and promote common development, Liu said.
In terms of cooperation, he said that the United States has laid bare its belief in unilateralism, protectionism, "zero-sum games" and "beggar-thy-neighbor" approach, which have been widely questioned and opposed by the international community.
China, by contrast, follows its time-honored philosophy of "strength through unity and weakness in isolation," champions open, inter-connected, mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, and strives to uphold World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, support the multilateral trade regime and build an open world economy, he said.
"To maintain its competitive edge in a globalized world where the future and interests of all countries are intertwined, the U.S. should build on its own strengths and cooperate with other countries," he said.
"Slowing others down or depriving others of the right to a better life is an unjust cause that will gain little support and may in the end backfire," he added.
Liu urged the United States to recognize the overarching trend, say goodbye to its old mindset and work with other countries to blaze a new trail of win-win cooperation so as to achieve development and prosperity.
"Under the current situation, it is all the more important that China, the UK and the rest of the world unite against unilateralism and protectionism, uphold the world economic order and the multilateral trade regime, safeguard the common interests of all mankind, and work for prosperity and stability of the world economy," he said.
