Tariff pressure will not force China to yield

Editor's note: It is a simplest fact that any negotiations should be based on sincerity to be meaningful. However, in its economic and trade negotiations with China, the United States lacks sincerity and only wields its tariff stick in an attempt to force China into making concessions.

People's Daily comments:

The Sino-US trade talks have experienced twists and turns since March last year, but China has remained unchanged in its stance: No matter how much pressure the US may exert on it, it will always stick to the bottom line of safeguarding its legitimate rights and interests and national dignity. From dealing with China over the past year, the US should have realized that the Chinese people will never accept any form of blackmail and extortion, and any such kind of tactics are doomed to failure.

China will never trade its core interests for something else. "No one should expect us to swallow the bitter fruit that undermines China's sovereignty, security and development interests", President Xi Jinping said. As for its economic and trade negotiations with the US, China has a big economic size, and so the Chinese nation cannot be bullied. Any extreme pressure will only make the Chinese people more aware of the nature of hegemonism and more determined to safeguard their own interests.

Since its founding in 1949, the People's Republic of China has never yielded to foreign pressure. Despite the fact it could not build a single tractor and was faced with a total blockade by the Western world shortly after its founding, New China never bent to any force of injustice. Given that today's China has established the world's most complete industrial system and boasts a huge domestic market and a rapidly growing innovation capacity, it has even more reason not to be afraid of external threats and pressures. At any time of external pressure, Chinese people have always been more united and worked harder to overcome difficulties.

China-US economic and trade frictions are in essence a contest between progress and backwardness, equality and hegemony, free trade and protectionism. The US willfully tramples on international economic and trade rules and sabotages the multilateral trading system, creating huge uncertainties for the world.

China, on the other hand, always advocates resolving differences through dialogue and consultations in international affairs. If the US wants to continue with the negotiations, it should show sincerity and know that any attempt to apply pressure will not succeed.