China Values Harmony, But Firmly Says No to Economic Bullying: Global Times Editorial

By Global Times

Apr 06, 2025 09:44 PM

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

In response to the US abuse of tariffs against all its trading partners, including China, under various pretexts, the Chinese government released its position on opposing US abuse of tariffs. The statement clearly said that "pressure and threats are not the right way to deal with China" and that "China-US economic and trade relations should be mutually beneficial in nature." At the same time, China responded with a series of countermeasures. The world has witnessed China's sense of responsibility as a major power that "does not make trouble, but has no fear of it" in the face of unilateralism, protectionism, and economic bullying. It has also observed China's firm resolve to safeguard its sovereignty, security, and development interests, as well as its clear stance on urging the US to return to the right path of dialogue and cooperation. 

China and the US differ in history, culture, social systems, and development paths. Yet since the normalization of bilateral relations, despite experiencing ups and downs, they have written numerous success stories of mutually beneficial cooperation and, through practice, have identified a right way to coexist: mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation. In the economic and trade sphere, bilateral trade has grown more than 200-fold in the past 45 years, with deeply integrated industrial and supply chains forming a mutually beneficial relationship of "interdependence." Both sides benefit from each other's development and share a strong desire to deepen cooperation. Hence, maintaining stable economic and trade ties and expanding the "cooperation pie" is a shared aspiration of people and businesses in both countries.

Today, the US faces some developmental challenges, such as insufficient competitiveness in manufacturing and growing pressures on once-dominant industries. However, the US government has wrongly chosen to make others pay for its own problems. By shirking responsibility, shifting blame, and resorting to tariff hikes and maximum pressure tactics, it has not solved any real issues; rather, these actions have greatly impacted global markets and the international economic and trade order. 

Back in 2018, when the US first launched a trade war against China, public opinion within the US widely held that it was American consumers who bore the brunt. Now, once again, the US is unlikely to gain what it imagined from a trade war - a conclusion echoed broadly across global public opinion, including US media. Whether then or now, China has remained committed to dialogue and communication, striving to build consensus. Its stance has been consistent and clear: There are no winners in a trade war; and the US must not pursue its interests at the expense of sacrificing other countries' legitimate interests.

Some Western media outlets have described China's 11 countermeasures as a "significant warning" to Washington. It is important to clarify that the actions taken by China, in accordance with the law, to safeguard its sovereignty, security, and development interests are in no way intended to harm US businesses or consumers. China has consistently shown its determination to bring China-US relations back on the right track, while also demonstrating its firm resolve not to tolerate the US to recklessly violate global trade rules, undermine the stable relationship that has been established between the two countries, or harm the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese businesses and consumers. It should be understood that only mutual respect between China and the US can lead to peaceful coexistence.

Stability in China-US relations is crucial for the interests of the people of both countries and for global development. The Chinese side well recognizes this, and therefore does not engage in confrontation or zero-sum games, nor does it politicize or weaponize economic and trade issues. Instead, it strives to inject stability and constructiveness into China-US relations and to promote the bilateral relationship back on track. 

Regardless of the state of China-US relations, China's policy toward the US has consistently maintained stability and coherence. It has injected positive energy into dialogues at various levels concerning China-US economic and trade relations, and has received widespread welcome and respect from the international community.

If the relationship between China and the US is characterized by "one side benefiting while the other loses," then it would be impossible to discuss the overall momentum of forward development between the two countries. In 2024, the trade volume between China and the US increased by 3.7 percent, reaching a total of $688.28 billion. Since the beginning of 2025, executives from various industries in the US have visited China, viewing technological innovation as a new point of cooperative growth and continuing to increase investments in China. These developments point to an unmistakable fact: Even in the face of protectionism and unilateral sanctions, the essential economic complementarity between China and the US remains unchanged, and the resilience of China-US economic and trade relations is beyond imagination. Cooperation and mutual benefit are the optimal solutions for the development of China-US relations. As the world's two largest economies, China and the US should be "partners and joint winners" in the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation. The rapid development of artificial intelligence, the growing global demand for green transformation, and the deepening interdependence of global industrial chains all provide new opportunities for China and the US to jointly explore cooperation.

History tells us that when there are more favorable winds than unfavorable ones between China and the US, it is a golden period for the vigorous development of China-US economic and trade cooperation, as well as the deep integration of industrial chains. This not only creates jobs for both countries and brings substantial economic benefits, but also enhances the well-being of people in both nations and even the world. 

Regardless of how the situation changes, the fundamental fact that the common interests of both sides far outweigh their differences remains unchanged. The historical logic of peaceful coexistence between China and the US, along with the global expectation for stable development of China-US relations, will also remain constant. We hope that the US side will meet China halfway, resolve differences and conflicts through equal consultation, and set an example through words and actions to lay a solid foundation for world peace and prosperity.