Blatant Trade Bullying Will Only Backfire
美国贸易霸凌行径只会适得其反
Ambassador Zhou Pingjian
驻尼日利亚大使周平剑
26 July 2018
2018年7月26日
On July 20, The United States threatened to impose tariffs on all US$500 billion worth of Chinese imports. Earlier on July 6, the U.S. announced to impose 25 percent tariffs on US$34 billion worth of Chinese goods. On July 11, the U.S. further escalated by announcing a tariff list of Chinese products worth US$200 billion. Where the trade war waged by the U.S. against China is heading to? The world is wondering.
7月20日，美国威胁将对价值5000亿美元的全部中国输美产品加征关税。此前，美国于7月6日宣布对340亿美元中国产品强行加征25%的关税，7月11日又变本加厉公布拟对2000亿美元中国产品加征关税的清单。美国对华贸易战将何去何从？全世界都急切地想知道。
China’s position regarding the trade war willfully ignited by the U.S. remains firm and clear. China doesn't want a trade war, but is not afraid of and will fight one when necessary. Threats and intimidation will never work on China. China is capable of and confident in safeguarding the interests of the Chinese people. The U.S. should be advised to remain calm and handle the relevant issue with a rational attitude. Trade bullying will only backfire.
对于美方执意挑起贸易战，中方的立场一直非常坚定明确，中方不愿打、不怕打、必要时不得不打。威胁和恐吓对中国从来不起作用，中方有能力、有信心维护中国人民的利益。美方应保持冷静，通过理性的态度来处理和解决有关问题。赤裸裸的贸易霸凌行径只会事与愿违，适得其反。
The main criticism that the U.S. makes against China centers around the trade deficit America runs with China. However, when it comes to trade, imbalance does not mean unfairness as the flow of trade is determined by the market. China has never deliberately sought a trade surplus. Having a trade deficit does not mean the U.S. is “losing”. It is an erroneous accusation that China has been long engaging in unfair trade practices which have benefited itself and shortchanged the United States. Let me take the daily Apple here. When an iPhone assembled in China arrives in the U.S., it is recorded as an import at its factory cost of about US$240, which is added to the U.S.-China trade deficit by the U.S. side. China, however, earns just about US$8.46, or 3.6 percent of the total factory cost or less than 1 percent of the value in terms of retail price in the transaction, while most of the profits go straight to the coffers of Apple Inc. and high-tech enterprises of other countries on relevant industrial supply chains. Or take the Made-in-China suit. When China exports a US$450 worth of business suit to the U.S., China gets 5 percent of the profit while the U.S. gets 84 percent. Can these figures be cited to prove that the U.S. is shortchanged in its trade deals with China and China is playing a zero-sum game here with the U.S.?
对华巨大贸易逆差是美开打贸易战的主要理由。然而，贸易由市场决定，贸易不平衡不等于不公平。中国从不刻意追求贸易顺差。贸易逆差也不意味着美国吃了亏。指责中国长期从事不公平贸易，导致中国占便宜、美国吃亏是错误的。以苹果为例，一部在中国完成组装，然后运到美国的苹果手机出厂价为240美元，美方将这240美元直接计入对华贸易逆差，但事实上中方只从中收入8.46美元，即整个出厂价的约3%，或售价的不到1%，绝大部分利润则尽归美国苹果公司和相关产业链中其他国家高科技企业。或拿中国产成衣来说，中国对美出口一套450美元的西服，中美获利分别为5%和84%。难道美方要引用这些数字证明美方在中美贸易中吃亏、中方在同美方零和博弈？
The main reasons for the deficits do not lie on the Chinese side. Generally, they result from how resources are allocated in an interconnected global economy and are natural reflections of the global value chain and international division of labour. In particular, there are certain factors inevitably lead to trade deficits. The savings rate in the U.S. remains too low while consumption rate remains too high. The U.S. dollar serves as the international reserve currency. And, the U. S. government imposes restrictions on high-tech exports to China.
美对华贸易逆差的主要原因不在中方。总体上这是经济全球联通资源配置的结果，是全球价值链和劳动分工的客观反映。一些特定因素也必然导致逆差：美国内储蓄率过低、消费率过高，美元充当国际储备货币，美国政府限制高科技产品对华出口。
The United States has further accused China of so-called “theft of intellectual property” and “forced technology transfer,” charges which are neither fair nor objective. The Chinese government has codified a robust IPR protection legal system, including setting up IPR courts and dedicated tribunals that enhance the dominant role of the judiciary in IPR protection. Meanwhile, in 2017 the intellectual property royalties paid by China reached US$28.6 billion, a 15-fold increase from 2001 when it joined the WTO, running a deficit of more than US$20 billion. US$7.13 billion went to the US with a yearly increase of 14 percent. More importantly, China is emerging as a leader in global innovation and brand-building. According to the latest Global Innovation Index (GII) released by the WIPO, China has been the only mid-income economy on the list of the world’s 20 most innovative economies. The growth miracle of China’s economic development has never been achieved by stealing from anyone, and never will be. The accusation of “forced technology transfer” is also pointless and groundless. China does not have laws and policies that compel foreign companies to transfer technology to Chinese companies when investing in China. When it comes to technology or any other cooperation between Chinese and foreign companies, it is purely a matter of voluntary contracts. One is willing to buy, and the other is willing to sell, which is mutually beneficial.
美国还指责中国“盗窃知识产权”和“强制技术转让”，这既不公正，也不客观。中国政府建立了相对完整的知识产权法律保护体系，推进设立知识产权法院和专门审判机构，不断发挥司法在知识产权保护中的主导作用。2017年，中国对外支付的知识产权使用费达到286亿美元，比2001年加入世贸组织当年增长了15倍，逆差超过200亿美元。其中，支付美国的知识产权使用费达71.3亿美元，同比增长14%。更重要的是，中国正在逐步成为全球创新和品牌方面的一个引领者。根据世界产权组织最新发布的全球创新指数，中国是唯一进入全球最具创新能力20个经济体的中等收入国家。中国的经济发展奇迹从来不是、也永远不会靠“偷”得来。所谓“强制技术转让”也是无稽之谈。中国没有强制要求在华外国投资企业转让技术的法律和政策。至于中外企业间的技术合作和其他合作，完全是自愿的契约行为，一个愿买，一个愿卖，互利互惠。
In the world of today, all countries have been economically integrated into the global industrial and value chain to varying degrees. 40 percent of China’s commodity exports and two thirds of its high-tech exports are manufactured by foreign enterprises in China. We are all interdependent and our interests are closely intertwined. Clinging to the outdated zero-sum game mindset and willfully provoking a trade war will harm the interests of not only the two parties involved but also all other parties in the global industrial chain. It will produce no winners.
当今时代，各国经济不同程度融入全球产业链和价值链。中国货物出口的40%、高科技产品出口的三分之二就是在华外资企业生产的。各方相互依存，利益交织。如果固守零和博弈的陈旧思维，任性挑起贸易战，不仅损害当事双方利益，也伤及全球产业链上的各方利益，不会有赢家。
By launching a trade war not only with China, but also with the world, the United States is dragging the world economy into a treacherous zone. The trade war dampens the growth momentum of global trade. The trade war shakes everyone’s confidence in the world economy. The trade war jeopardizes the well-being of all mankind. Last but not least, initiating a trade war to serve domestic political needs and selfish interests is a typical act of unilateralism and zero-sum game. It marks a full-blown regression of international rules and global governance since the end of the Second World War, which, if unchecked, will cut so deep to the world economy that everybody should be alarmed by this. The U.S. is firing at the whole world as well as itself, and will only end up hurting itself and the world. President of the European Council Donald Tusk, who just wrapped up the 20th China-EU Summit in Beijing, said in June that the rules-based international system is under threat, and to everyone’s surprise, the threat comes from no one but the U.S. who built up this system. Many prominent international economists including President Adam Posen of the US Peterson Institute for International Economics also publicly said that today’s US government constitutes the biggest threat to the current world economic order. China has never imposed unilateral measures on others, nor has it acted against the basics of the WTO, namely free and open trade, non-discrimination, tariff constraints and special and differential treatment, and China has not the slightest intention of doing these things in the future.
美国打贸易战不仅针对中国，还以全世界为敌，将把世界经济拖入危险境地。贸易战打击全球贸易增长势头，冲击各方对世界经济的信心，危及全球民众福祉。出于国内政治考虑，以一己之私发动贸易战，更是典型的单边主义和零和思维，这是二战结束以来国际规则和全球治理的一次全面倒退，如果发展下去，对世界经济造成的损害可能是深层次的，确实令世人担忧。美国向全世界开火也是在向自己开火，结果只会是损人害己。刚刚赴华出席第二十次中欧领导人会晤的欧洲理事会主席图斯克今年6月就指出：“基于规则的国际体制正在受到威胁，令人吃惊的是，造成威胁的不是别国，而是构建这一体制的美国。”美国彼得森国际经济研究所所长珀森等国际经济学界权威也公开表示，今天的美国政府是对当今世界经济秩序的最大威胁。中国从来没有、将来也不会动辄采取单边措施，违背自由开放、非歧视、关税约束、“特殊和差别待遇”等世贸组织的根基。
Openness brings progress. China will continue to press ahead with trade reform and opening up its markets, and work with the rest of the world to uphold free trade and the multilateral trading system. President Xi Jinping announced four major initiatives to further open the Chinese market at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference in April. Subsequently, the Chinese government introduced specific measures, including drastically reducing tariffs on a range of imported goods. Tariffs on 1,500 types of consumer goods have been lowered considerably. The import tariff on automobiles has been cut from 25 percent to 15 percent. The revised negative list for foreign investment released late June substantially eased market access restrictions for foreign investors. In November, China will host the ever first China International Import Expo in Shanghai. China will only become more and more open. China is willing to work together with Nigeria to further open our respective markets to each other, uphold the multilateral trading system and oppose acts of unilateralism, in a bid to safeguard the common interests of human development and prosperity.
开放带来进步。中国将继续推进贸易改革，开放国内市场，并与世界各国一道坚定维护自由贸易原则和多边贸易体制。今年4月，习近平主席在博鳌亚洲论坛年会上宣布中国进一步开放市场的四大举措。中国政府随后出台了开放市场的具体措施，包括大幅度降低一系列进口商品的关税。1500种消费品关税大幅下调，进口汽车关税从25%降到15%。6月底，中国政府发布了新版外商投资准入负面清单，市场准入大幅放宽。首届中国国际进口博览会将于今年11月在上海举办。中国开放的大门只会越开越大。中方愿同尼日利尼方面携手合作，相互开放市场，共同维护多边贸易体系，抵制单边主义行径，捍卫人类发展和繁荣的共同利益。