At midnight on Friday, July 6, the first day of the U.S. tariffs against billions of dollars of Chinese goods took effect. People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party’s mouthpiece, struck back with an editorial.
The article made the accusation that, “The U.S. violated the WTO’s rules and launched the largest trade war to date.” It continued, “This (the U.S. tariffs) will not shake the foundation of China’s economic development, it will not weaken the confidence of the Chinese people in achieving the goal of ‘two hundred years,’ and it (the U.S.) will surely be hit back. However, the unreasonable arrogance carried by the trade hegemonism of the United States is quite damaging. It not only harms the interests of the enterprises and peoples of both countries, but also threatens the global free trade and multilateral system and hinders the pace of world economic recovery.
“The White House will not forget that more than half a century ago, China, suffering from war trauma and devastation, spoke out loud, ‘Blockade, blockade for eight and ten years, and all problems in China will have been solved.’ Today, as China is stepping toward the center of the World’s stage with strong national strength and moral appeal, will she allow the U.S. trade hegemonism to damage the core interests of the country and ask the people to make unprincipled concessions? Moreover, as a responsible power, China clearly understands that winning this trade war will make the U.S. see clearly that trade bullying has no future. We are thus defending the international economic and trade order. ‘If the war ends the war, the war is worth fighting.’ Without a bitter lesson, it is difficult for those who are blinded by self-interest to wake up and get back to reality.”
“The trade bully will never ever succeed!”
Source: People’s Daily, July 6, 2018
http://opinion.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0706/c1003-30132252.html