Fairness and respect is the guidance to talks

A question a Western media outlet threw at Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning in a recent news conference clearly indicates how some in the West underestimate China's resolve to safeguard its core interest in the tariff war the US administration is waging against it.

"We have sources telling us that Chinese officials are having difficulty getting guidance from the US side on how to stop President Trump from increasing tariffs. Can I get a reaction from you?" she was asked.

Although China remains open to work together with the United States to resolve their trade disputes through negotiations, it has never implored the US side for any "guidance" as to how it can lessen the latter's tariff blows.

While being entreated no doubt panders to the United States' sense of entitlement, China's relations with all countries are based on mutual respect and an equal footing, and on issues of right and wrong it always upholds the principle of fairness.

As the country that has been targeted by the US' tariff attacks since 2018 during Trump's first term, China's countermeasures have always been prompt, precise and effective. If there is anything China would ask of the US regarding the tariff war, it is that it come back to its senses over the lose-lose nature of its arbitrary move, which has neither brought back jobs to the US nor helped reduce its trade deficit against China.

The excuse the Trump administration has found during its second term to justify the tariffs it imposes on China is, to put it mildly, absurdly overstretched, as the fentanyl crisis in the US is the result of domestic regulatory problems.

It would also be ridiculous to ask for "guidance" from the US administration, as even its senior trade and commerce officials have no idea what the US president is going to do from one hour to the next, as shown by his flip-flop-flip on Canadian tariffs.

Such unpredictability is undoubtedly a double-edged sword. Although it seems to give the US side an upper hand in future negotiations, the back-and-forth tariff threats sent markets sharply lower in the US this week.

The market originally expected Trump's economic policies after taking office would continue to drive economic recovery. However, his tariff wars and threats against the US' major trading partners, including China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union, which are closely linked to the US' industry and supply chains, have only fueled more uncertainty.

But what has truly triggered market panic is the possibility that the Trump administration will deliberately create an economic recession to relieve the US debt pressure by lowering interest rates. Recently, when Trump was interviewed, he downplayed the recent sharp fluctuations in the stock market caused by his imposition and adjustment of tariffs, and said that one should not pay too much attention to the stock market. Yet when he indicates that the US would have a transition period, he is seemingly suggesting that turmoil and recession are the inevitable pains that have to be endured during the adjustment.

That being said, even the policymakers in Washington are crossing the river by feeling the stones when it comes to the resolution of the US economy's complicated structural challenges, of which tariffs are but one conspicuous part. They cannot provide any tariff-avoidance "guidance" for even the most ardent of US wooers.

As such, Mao answered the leading question by unequivocally reiterating China's consistent stance on the issue, leaving no room for any misunderstanding: "If harming China's interests is what the US wants, China will take resolute countermeasures. If the US truly wants to solve the issue, then the right thing to do is to consult with China on the basis of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit to address each other's concerns."

China is ready to offer guidance on how to reduce the US' complaints — through talks in good faith, which it has always upheld as being the right way to resolve the two sides' trade differences.