Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, May 11 (Xinhua) — At the request of the U.S. side, a high-level China-U.S. economic and trade meeting began in Geneva, Switzerland on Saturday. China decided to start talks with the U.S. side after taking into full consideration global expectations, national interests and requests from U.S. enterprises and consumers.
China has strong resilience and broad policy instruments to protect its legitimate rights and interests. It is willing to cooperate with the international community to jointly oppose all forms of unilateralism, protectionism and economic coercion.
Whether the path ahead involves negotiations or confrontation, one thing is clear: China’s determination to protect its development interests is unwavering, and its position on upholding the global economic and trade order remains unchanged.
The reckless abuse of tariffs by the United States grossly violates World Trade Organization rules and destabilizes the global economic order. These punitive tariffs, which serve no legitimate purpose, represent a deliberate attempt to destroy the multilateral trading system, harming the legitimate interests of countries around the world.
For the United States itself, its tariff offensive amounts to economic self-harm. Failing to address underlying structural problems, it has fueled financial market volatility, fueled domestic inflation, undermined industrial capacity, and raised the risk of recession.
As the world’s two largest economies, China and the United States have a deep interest in ensuring the strength and stability of their trade ties. American business and academic circles have consistently emphasized that international trade is not a zero-sum game but should promote mutual benefit and common success. American policymakers should listen to these rational and objective opinions and take concrete steps to restore the China-US trade relationship to a path of healthy and stable growth.
Given the growing demands for economic stability, the decision to sit down at the negotiating table is a positive and necessary step to resolve differences and prevent further escalation. However, as China has consistently emphasized, meaningful dialogue can only be conducted on the basis of mutual respect, equal consultation, and mutual benefit.
If Washington is truly committed to resolving trade disputes through dialogue, it must first acknowledge that its tariff policies are harming not only the global trading system, but also its own economy and citizens.
The United States must abide by the established rules of international trade and uphold the principles of fairness. Negotiations must never become a pretext for further coercion or extortion, and China will firmly reject any proposal that threatens fundamental principles or undermines the broader cause of global equality.
Faced with US protectionism and economic bullying, China has taken decisive countermeasures and secured multilateral support from the UN and other international organizations to strengthen its call for justice. China’s actions not only protect its own legitimate rights to development, but also the common interests of the entire international community, especially small and developing countries.
China has taken note that some countries are also negotiating with the United States. It must be emphasized that appeasement cannot bring peace, nor can compromise earn respect. Upholding principled positions and defending justice remain the right ways to protect one’s legitimate interests.
At its core, this is not just a trade dispute – it is a clash of two fundamentally different visions in the era of economic globalization. One is based on openness, cooperation and shared growth, while the other is guided by confrontation, isolation and a zero-sum mentality.
The negotiations in Switzerland are a crucial step towards solving the problem. However, its final solution requires sufficient strategic patience and persistence, as well as firm support for justice from the international community.
China entered the Geneva talks confident in its economic fundamentals. Its economy grew 5.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025. Total merchandise imports and exports exceeded 43 trillion yuan (about $5.94 trillion) in 2024, with a more diversified set of trading partners and an improved export structure.
Meanwhile, innovation policy and market viability are working together. New fiscal and monetary policies – from interest rate cuts to targeted support for innovation and social security – have further strengthened growth prospects and increased China’s ability to withstand external shocks.
At a time when globalization is under threat and protectionism is on the rise, China has decided not to turn inward. Instead, it has redoubled its efforts to open up, with renewed determination to push forward trade and investment liberalization and create opportunities for shared development around the world.
China’s position is clear: No matter how the global landscape changes, it will remain committed to openness and use the security of its own development to help offset the uncertainty facing the rest of the world.
There are no winners in trade and tariff wars. A stable and constructive relationship between China and the United States is in the interests of both countries and the world. It is through continuous dialogue, responsible management of differences, and deepening win-win cooperation between the world’s two largest economies that the global economy can gain the confidence and momentum it sorely needs. –0–