China Outlines Positions on US Tariffs, Export Controls in White Paper
China’s State Council this week released a white paper on economic and trade relations with the U.S., criticizing the U.S. government’s imposition of tariffs and export controls and saying that the two sides should strive toward “mutually beneficial cooperation.” The white paper seeks to “clarify the facts about China-US economic and trade relations and illustrate China's policy stance on relevant issues,” it says, according to an unofficial translation.
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The paper says the tariffs recently announced by President Donald Trump expose the “typical unilateralism and bullying nature of the United States.” It says China has “never deliberately” pursued a trade surplus with the U.S. and said the world would benefit if the two sides cooperated and removed trade restrictions.
It also said the U.S. has failed to provide China with “reasonable convenience” to meet its purchase commitments under the U.S.-China phase one trade deal negotiated during Trump’s first term, adding that the U.S. instead imposed export controls and sanctions against Chinese companies. This “greatly affected China's imports of relevant goods and services from the United States,” Beijing said, adding that Chinese purchases of American semiconductors and chip equipment fell by 23% and 17.9%, respectively, after the U.S. introduced new chip controls in October 2022.
Beijing also said the U.S. “fabricated the so-called ‘forced labor’ issue” and signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act into law “to slander and discredit Chinese companies and Chinese products” and restrict Chinese imports.
The country noted that it could have withdrawn from the phase one agreement at any time over the last several years, including by citing force majeure due to supply chain challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But it chose not to, which demonstrated its “sincerity.”
“There are no winners in a trade war and no way out for protectionism,” the white paper said. It said the two sides should discuss their “respective concerns through equal dialogue and consultation, and jointly promote the healthy, stable and sustainable development of China-US economic and trade relations.”