Trump's trade prejudice self-harming the US: China Daily editorial

Managing the largest economy in the world, the current US administration tends to attribute all the successes to its own merits while accusing others of being the cause of all the United States' problems.

China, of course, has for a longtime been the favorite whipping boy of the US in this respect, and US President Donald Trump has enthusiastically embraced this meme.

While campaigning for the presidency, Trump accused China of being responsible for "the greatest theft in the history of the world", and claimed it was "raping" the US. And in his campaign manifesto, he pledged to "cut a better deal with China" to help US businesses and workers compete.

Yet, even ignoring the fact those accusations did not and do not accord with the reality of the two countries' trade relations, when a deal was reached on the general framework for rebalancing trade in the recent talks between the two sides, his administration chose not to honor that agreement.

Having got an inch, it obviously believes it can now grab a mile. For after announcing an initial $50 billion in Chinese imports that would be subject to additional 25 percent on Friday - which Beijing had no option but to respond to with reciprocal tariffs on a variety of US goods - Trump announced on Monday that he had asked US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to suggest another $200 billion worth of Chinese goods on which the US could impose an additional 10 percent tariff.

Faced with this heightened intimidation from the US, China has no choice but to fight back with targeted and direct measures aimed at persuading the US to back off, since it appears that any concessions it makes will not appease the Trump administration, which wants to suck the lifeblood from the Chinese economy.

By announcing its plan to impose tariffs on more Chinese goods, the US has escalated its trade assault on China. Beijing will have to ensure that Washington is aware that there will be heavy price to pay every action it strikes against China if it is to avoid being a victim of the Trump administration's growing blood lust.

Those US companies and workers that feel the brunt of China's retaliation should pass the word to Washington, that despite the pronounced aim of the Trump administration being to protect domestic industries and workers, the injuries that will be done them will be because of its actions.