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News > World

China State Media: US Trade Probe Will Poison Relations

  • Chinese newspaper, stacked 100 yuan banknotes and US$100 bills (photo illustration).

    Chinese newspaper, stacked 100 yuan banknotes and US$100 bills (photo illustration). | Photo: Reuters - teleSUR

Published 13 August 2017
Opinion

"Trump holds a simplistic view of international relations, especially China-U.S. ties," said one editorial.

Through its state media outlets, China is sending an unmistakable message in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's order to investigate supposedly unfair Chinese trade practices: such actions threaten to poison relations between the two superpowers, risking a trade war.

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“Trump holds a simplistic view of international relations, especially China-U.S. ties. He stubbornly believes that the U.S. has suffered losses from the current international trade system while China has gained an advantage,” Global Times said in an editorial published Sunday. The newspaper operates under the auspices of the Communist Party of China's main newspaper, the People's Daily.

“The U.S.' overall trade deficit in 2016 was US$502.3 billion, with its deficit with China exceeding US$300 billion,” the editorial continued. “Perhaps this has irritated Trump, making him impatient to grasp an accurate scenario of China-U.S. trade.”

The editorial reflects anger over Trump administration accusations that Chinese trade practices force U.S. firms operating in China to turn over intellectual property. On Monday, Trump is expected to announce an investigation into the matter, potentially triggering the imposition of sharp tariffs on Chinese exports to the U.S.

The move comes at a time when Trump has demanded China do more to crack down on North Korea's nuclear missile program as he threatens possible military action against Pyongyang. Trump has said he would be more amenable to going easy on Beijing if it were more aggressive in reining in North Korea.

The official China Daily said, in an editorial, it was critical the Trump administration doesn't make a rash decision it will regret.

"Given Trump's transactional approach to foreign affairs, it is impossible to look at the matter without taking into account his increasing disappointment at what he deems as China's failure to bring into line the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," the English-language paper said.

"But instead of advancing the United States' interests, politicizing trade will only acerbate the country's economic woes, and poison the overall China-U.S. relationship."

The China Daily said it was unfair for Trump to put the burden on China for dissuading Pyongyang from its actions.

"By trying to incriminate Beijing as an accomplice in the DPRK's nuclear adventure and blame it for a failure that is essentially a failure of all stakeholders, Trump risks making the serious mistake of splitting up the international coalition that is the means to resolve the issue peacefully," it said.

"Hopefully Trump will find another path. Things will become even more difficult if Beijing and Washington are pitted against each other."

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