Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on July 19, 2018

　问：据报道，美国白宫国家经济委员会主任库德洛昨天称，中方阻止中美达成贸易协议以扭转两国紧张的经贸关系。你认为这一说法准确吗？ 

　　答：我看到了有关报道。 

　　中国商务部7月12日声明已经完整还原了中美就经贸问题进行接触磋商的全过程，中方一直在以最大诚意和耐心推动双方通过对话协商解决分歧，为避免贸易摩擦升级尽了最大努力。全世界关注中美经贸关系的人也都通过媒体全程跟踪了事态发展的整个过程。本来，美方出尔反尔、言而无信已是世界公认，但是当着全世界人民的面，美方有关官员居然如此颠倒黑白、倒打一耙，还是超出了一般人的想象，令人感到震惊。 

　　真的假不了，假的真不了。美方行为只能再次严重损害自身信誉，也完全无益于解决问题。 

Q: Larry Kudlow, the US National Economic Council Director, said yesterday that China is to blame for failing to reach an agreement with the US to avert trade tensions. Do you agree with what he said?

A: I have seen relevant reports.

The statement by China's Commerce Ministry on July 12th depicts a whole picture of how China and the US had engaged in consultations on the trade issue. It is clear that China has been sincere and patient enough to seek a settlement of the disputes through dialogues and consultations, and we have done our utmost to avoid an escalation of the trade frictions. Because of the media's close-up tracking, how this issue occurred and evolved has been laid bare for all interested to see. But right in front of everyone's eyes, the US went back and forth and ate its own words, and the US official still dared to call white black and tried to shift the blame onto China. That honestly entails some extraordinary imagination and is just preposterously shocking.

Right is right, and wrong is wrong. What the US did once again chips away at its own credibility and will not help solve the issue in any way. 

　　中方在中美经贸摩擦问题上的立场和态度是一贯和明确的。从一开始，我们就表明了“不想打、也不怕打”的坚定立场。美方高举大棒，胁迫讹诈，蛮横无理，反复无常，出尔反尔，言而无信，是导致事态发展升级的直接和根本原因。美方应该清醒认识到，这是经济全球化深入发展的21世纪，这次它面对的是中国。美方某些人不应再沉迷于做17世纪的堂吉诃德。 

　　我愿再次强调，中方在中美经贸摩擦问题上的立场始终如一，态度坚定明确。我们有信心、有底气、有条件，也有足够的能力，维护自身正当合法利益，同世界各国一道维护国际规则和多边贸易体系。 

China's position and attitude on the trade issue with the US is consistent and clear. From the very beginning, we made clear our firm position of not wanting to fight but never afraid of fighting. The US, however, holding high its baton, has been rudely threatening and coercing China, and brazenly engaging in flip-flopping and backpedaling, which is the direct and root cause for the escalation of the situation. The US should keep in mind that today is the 21st century with a high level of economic globalization, and it is China they are dealing with. Those in the US should drag themselves out of their quixotic fantasy and stop acting as if they were the Don Quixote of the 17th century. 

I would like to stress again that our position on the relevant issue remains consistent, and our attitude is firm and clear. We have all the confidence, assurance, conditions and capabilities we need to ensure our legitimate and lawful rights and to uphold international rules and the multilateral trading system along with other countries.