Relations between Washington and Beijing are at their lowest in many years amid disputes over commerce, expertise, human rights and China’s more and more aggressive strategy towards its territorial claims involving self-governing Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Jason Lee | Reuters
BEIJING — China’s ambassador to the U.S., Xie Feng, has blamed U.S. tariffs and export controls for a drop in commerce between the 2 nations.
That is in keeping with a speech he gave through video on Tuesday at Forbes’ U.S.-China Enterprise Discussion board in New York, revealed on-line by the Chinese Embassy in the U.S.
China-U.S. commerce fell by 14.5% within the first half of the 12 months from a 12 months in the past, Xie identified.
“It is a direct consequence of U.S. strikes to levy Part 301 tariffs on Chinese language imports, abuse unilateral sanctions and additional tighten up export controls,” he mentioned.
“Livelihoods of many households have been affected, and companies from each nations have born the brunt.”
China’s commerce companions
The U.S. is China’s largest buying and selling companion on a single nation foundation.
Yr to this point, U.S.-China commerce fell additional in July with a 15.4% decline from the identical interval in 2022, China customs information confirmed.
To close out China is to shut the door on alternatives, cooperation, stability and improvement.
Xie Feng
China’s ambassador to the U.S.
“The most important danger is any decoupling between China and america, and the biggest supply of insecurity comes from any confrontation between the 2,” he mentioned.
“To close out China is to shut the door on alternatives, cooperation, stability and improvement.”
Exports stay a significant contributor to China’s financial system, though their share has fallen lately.
The U.S. authorities on Wednesday revised down second-quarter home product to a 2.1% annualized tempo, opposite to expectations there could be no revision, Reuters mentioned. The report mentioned decrease enterprise spending on gear contributed to the revision.
Xie on Tuesday known as for locating “a path for increasing mutually helpful financial cooperation and commerce between China and america.”
“Going ahead, we have to proceed taking concrete steps, regardless of how small they might look,” he mentioned, giving examples — akin to making it simpler for folks to journey between the 2 nations, and renewing an settlement to cooperate on science and expertise.
On a regional foundation, the European Union and Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations are China’s largest buying and selling companions. These commerce flows have additionally dropped this 12 months — albeit at a extra average tempo — amid a decline in international demand.
Xie on Tuesday identified China’s international dominance in commerce and in industries akin to electrical automobiles. He famous that France, the U.Ok. and Japan had considerably elevated their international funding in China within the first half of the 12 months.
“Extra efforts can be made to guard international funding and guarantee nationwide therapy for foreign-invested enterprises,” he mentioned.
U.S. Commerce secretary visits China
In his remarks, Xie famous U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s journey to China this week. Following her conferences with Chinese language authorities officers, the U.S. and China agreed to set up common communication channels on commerce, export controls and defending commerce secrets and techniques.
Raimondo advised reporters she “mentioned no” to China’s requests to cut back export controls and “retract” the chief order on outbound funding screening.
“We do not negotiate on issues of nationwide safety,” she mentioned.
As a substitute of containing China, it’s going to solely curtail the correct of American companies to develop in China.
Xie Feng
China’s ambassador to the U.S.
The U.S. authorities has cited nationwide safety issues for its strikes to limit Chinese language firms’ purchases of superior semiconductors from U.S. companies.
In 2018, the Trump administration imposed tariffs on Chinese language items, to which Beijing responded with tariffs of its personal.
Xie claimed that common U.S. tariffs on Chinese language merchandise have been 19%, whereas the Chinese language tariffs on U.S. items averaged 7.3%.
“Is that this honest? Does this really serve U.S. pursuits?”
The ambassador assumed his function in Could after a interval of about six months during which China had no ambassador to the U.S.
In August, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order aimed toward proscribing U.S. investments into Chinese language semiconductor, quantum computing and synthetic intelligence firms over nationwide safety issues. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is usually liable for figuring out the small print, which at the moment stay open to public remark.
Xie known as the chief order “a violation of the precept of free commerce.”
“It’s merely complicated that america, which repeatedly urged China to increase entry for international funding previously, is now imposing restrictions itself,” he mentioned. “As a substitute of containing China, it’s going to solely curtail the correct of American companies to develop in China.”
As a part of Raimondo’s journey to China, the U.S. Commerce secretary mentioned she spoke with greater than 100 companies and more and more heard from them that “China is uninvestible as a result of it is turn out to be too dangerous.”
“My message was there is a want to do enterprise, however we’d like predictability, due course of and a degree taking part in discipline,” Raimondo added in an unique interview with CNBC’s Eunice Yoon on Wednesday.
