Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng Calls for Peaceful Coexistence and Warns of Retaliation in Trade War
BEIJING – Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng has urged Washington to seek a common ground with Beijing and strive for peaceful coexistence, while also warning that China is ready to take retaliatory measures in the escalating trade war.
At a public event in Washington on Saturday, details of which were published on the Chinese embassy’s website, Xie stated that tariffs would destroy the global economy and drew a parallel between the Great Depression and the 1930 tariffs imposed by the United States.
Referring to concepts of traditional Chinese medicine such as the need to balance opposing forces of Yin and Yang, Xie said that harmony should guide the relations between the world’s two largest economies.
“A good recipe of traditional Chinese medicine usually combines many different ingredients that reinforce each other and achieve the best medical effect” he said. “Similarly, the earth is big enough to accommodate both China and the United States. We should strive for peaceful coexistence instead of confronting each other directly and help each other succeed instead of getting stuck in a lose-lose scenario.”
The trade war has brought the massive exchange of goods and other items between the world’s two largest economies to a near standstill with tariffs of over 100 percent in both directions and a series of trade, investment and cultural restrictions. On Saturday, China’s leading shipbuilding association criticized a plan by the United States to impose port fees on ships with China-related connections.
While Japan, Taiwan and other countries are already holding talks with Washington over the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on “Emancipation Day” or preparing for negotiations, there is currently no planned high-level dialogue with China.
Trump emphasized on Friday that the United States is having “good private conversations” with China amid the trade war between the two countries. “We’re actually having very good conversations with China” he told reporters at the White House. “It’s really very good.” He did not provide further details. China has stated that the United States should show respect before any talks could even take place.