Dialogue the only viable way forward: China Daily editorial

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's recent remarks on China-US trade relations were not only irresponsible but also dangerously misleading. His suggestion that Washington should rally the rest of the G7 to "counter" China on trade issues exposes a deep-seated obsession with confrontation and a complete disregard for global economic stability. Such words are unbecoming of a senior official, and only serve to betray the United States' own guilt for creating the very tensions it is now trying to pin the blame on China.

Bessent's remarks deny the truth. It is not China but the US that has spent the past months rolling out one discriminatory trade measure after another, undermining the very "rules-based order" it claims to defend.

China's export control measures are legitimate, rational and fully consistent with international practice. As the Ministry of Commerce reiterated on Thursday, the measures are part of China's efforts to improve its export control system in accordance with international requirements. They are aimed at upholding international nonproliferation obligations, safeguarding regional stability and defending world peace. They are not an export ban. Licenses will be granted for eligible applications.

What Bessent said recently has brought the contrast between Beijing's sense of responsibility and Washington's aggressiveness into stark relief — the difference could not be clearer. Since the China-US economic and trade talks in Madrid, in just over 20 days, the US has introduced 20 repressive measures against China, seriously damaging China's interests and undermining the atmosphere for bilateral trade talks. As the Commerce Ministry spokesperson stressed on Thursday, at the end of September, the US issued a so-called penetrating rule on the exports control entity list, effectively extending it with the inclusion of thousands of Chinese companies on the list. At the same time, the US insisted on implementing the port fee investigation measures on Chinese-linked vessels on Tuesday.

These actions have been taken in blatant disregard of the goodwill and sincerity China has demonstrated. To say that it is China that is escalating tensions is calling white black. The blame lies solely with the US administration. Expecting China to accommodate the US' bullying practices without fighting back is simply ridiculous.

Bessent's attempt to mobilize the G7 against China, along with other allies and partners, should serve as a wake-up call. At a time when the global economy is struggling and there are many pressing challenges to be addressed, it is mindless to say the least for countries to allow themselves to be dragged into another Cold-War-style bloc confrontation.

As Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized during his meeting with the French president's diplomatic adviser in Hangzhou on Wednesday, when speaking of China-EU relations, cooperation should be the main tone of ties, and partnership the right positioning. Other US allies should also heed Wang's words and see clearly the rights and wrongs behind the new trade frictions between China and the US. They should recognize that toeing the US' line will not spare them from being in the crosshairs of the US administration's trade attacks.

The US narrative that China's export controls are disruptive is simply untenable. China's rare earth controls are measured and transparent. The Chinese government informed relevant countries through bilateral export control dialogue mechanisms before the announcement, and it will continue to grant export licenses for qualified applications. China has every right, and the responsibility, to ensure that its resources are used in ways that promote peace and stability, not military confrontation. Any claim that Beijing is "weaponizing" rare earths flies in the face of reason. It is the US that is guilty of that. It has long been abusing high-tech restrictions to achieve political ends.

Bessent's comments reveal the contradiction at the heart of current US policy. On the one hand, he hinted that Washington might extend the current tariff pause to give time for talks. On the other, he continued to threaten new 100 percent tariffs and new export controls, all while smearing China's normal regulatory adjustments. If the US side truly believes dialogue is the way forward, it knows perfectly well what needs to be done.

Dialogue based on equality, respect and mutual benefit is the only viable path to move forward.