Ambassador Guo Shaochun writes an op-ed in Herald on China-US trade frictions

　  2019年6月6日，驻津巴布韦大使郭少春在津第一大报《先驱报》发表题为《合则两利，斗则两伤——中美经贸摩擦：对话与合作是唯一解决办法》的署名文章。全文如下：

　　近期每当我阅读中国外交部例行记者会问答实录时，发现被提及最多的就是关于中美贸易战的问题。这一问题是当前中国国内和国际媒体的焦点，也在众多场合被论及。

On June 6, Ambassador Guo Shaochun wrote an op-ed in Zimbabwe's Herald on the topic of China-US Trade friction. Below is the full text of the article.

Whenever I read the regular press briefing by the Chinese Foreign Ministry these days, I find the most frequently asked questions are about the trade war between China and the US. The Chinese and international media all come to focus on this issue and it also has become an important topic for discussion on various occasions.

　　中华人民共和国国务院新闻办公室于6月2日发布了《关于中美经贸磋商的中方立场》白皮书。这是需要我们认真阅读，以全面理解“贸易战”问题的一份重要文件。

　　一、为什么美国对中国发动贸易战

　　2017年新一届美国政府上任以来，奉行“美国优先”政策，对外采取一系列单边主义和保护主义措施，动辄使用关税“大棒”，将自身利益诉求强加于他国，搅乱全球经贸格局。美国特别将矛头对准中国，于2017年8月启动单边色彩浓厚的“301调查”，无视中国多年来在加强知识产权保护、改善外资营商环境等方面的不懈努力和取得的巨大成绩，对中国作出诸多不客观的负面评价，采取加征关税、限制投资等经贸限制措施，挑起中美经贸摩擦。

The State Council Information Office of the Chinese Government released a white paper, on June 2, titled "China's Position on the China-US Economic and Trade Consultations". It is the right document to read for us to gain a comprehensive understanding about this issue.

Why has the United States waged a trade war against China?

Since the new US administration took office in 2017, it has trumpeted "America First" , adopted a series of unilateral and protectionist measures and regularly wielded tariffs as a "big stick" and coerced other countries into accepting its demands, causing disruption to the global economic and trade landscape. Specifically targeting China, in August 2017 it launched a unilateral investigation under Section 301. Turning a blind eye to China's unremitting efforts and remarkable progress in protecting intellectual property and improving the business environment for foreign investors, the US issued a myriad of slanted and negative observations, and imposed additional tariffs and investment restrictions on China, provoking economic and trade friction between the two countries.

　　二、美国对华发动贸易战的策略和手法

　　1、极限施压,出而反尔

　　纵观十一轮中美经贸磋商，谁在出尔反尔，谁在反复无常，看一下过往新闻就一目了然。去年5月，中美双方就经贸问题达成共识，在华盛顿发表联合声明。但几天之后，美方就违背了双方共识。去年12月，中美双方就中方对美贸易采购数字达成共识，但美方却在此后的磋商中肆意抬高要价。所以，立场倒退、违背承诺的帽子绝对扣不到中方头上。是美国挑起的贸易争端，不是中国；是美国打响了加征关税的第一枪，不是中国；是美国在反复操弄极限施压，不是中国。

The Strategies and tactics of the United States in waging a Trade War against China

Maximum pressuring and backtracking

Looking at previous media coverage on the past 11 rounds of trade talks, it's easy to see clearly which side has been flip-flopping all along. In May last year, China and the US reached consensus on trade and issued a joint statement in Washington, DC. But just a few days after that, the US abandoned the agreement. In December last year, the two sides reached consensus on the value of China's purchases from the US, but in the following talks the US wantonly rejected the agreement and asked for more. It is never China that backtracks and breaks commitments; it is the US that provoked the trade disputes, not China; it is the US that fired the first shot in raising tariffs, not China; it is the US that repeatedly resorted to maximum pressuring, not China.