Zero-sum game mentality not conducive to transforming consensus into fair deal

Compared with the prudence with which China has dealt with the outcome of the first meeting of the Sino-US economic and trade consultation mechanism in London, the response of some in the United States can only be described as injudicious.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s China-bashing performance in a Congress hearing on the US administration’s trade policy on Wednesday was both imprudent and misleading.

Just hours after he returned from the meeting in the United Kingdom, the head of the US negotiation team in both Geneva and London criticized Beijing for what he claimed were “aggressive” export policies. He urged China to be a more reliable partner and depicted its economic structure as hurting not only the US but the entire world.

“China currently has the most unbalanced economy in the history of the world,” Bessent told the House Ways and Means Committee. “They cannot be allowed to export their way back to prosperity, not only for working Americans but for working citizens around the world.”

In the face of the domestic pressure on the administration, it was predictable that the US Treasury chief would interpret the outcome of the London talks in a way that suited his agenda of using it as evidence to prove the correctness of the administration’s trade policy.

But it was beyond expectation that he would choose to go that far in trying to discredit China. By doing so, Bessent once again risks turning the win-win cooperation between the two sides into a zero-sum game.

Contrary to his claims about the Chinese economy doing harm to the US and the world, the US, as well as the rest of the world, has long benefited from China’s economic development, which offers a huge market, skilled labor force, natural resources, products of high cost-performance and a huge number of high-tech talents.

That is why the US president said he wants the Chinese economy to do very well in his talk on the phone with the Chinese leader on June 5.

That Bessent claimed “China has proven an unreliable partner”, adding that “we will see” if it is more reliable this time, also contradicts the US leader’s remark in that telephone conversation that the US and China working together can get a lot of great things done. That was a message he also sent in his earlier telephone call with the Chinese leader in January shortly before his inauguration.

In fact, the US Treasury chief’s remarks in the hearing have only served to reinforce the fact that the US administration’s tariff policy is intrinsically flawed, morally unfair and practically unsustainable.

China is arguably the last country Bessent should have picked to prove the rationality of the administration’s trade policy, as Beijing will never cave in to any coercion.

As Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on taking US-related questions in a news conference on Thursday, “Now that a consensus has been reached, both sides should abide by it”, hinting the US side should forgo its blame game and patting itself on the back and focus instead on taking concrete actions to fulfill the obligations it has agreed to in the consensus.

China’s position on relations with the US is consistent and clear. It has always viewed and handled China-US relations in the spirit of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. The US reciprocating that spirit in subsequent exchanges would serve it and the rest of the world well.

The US should therefore work with China to implement the consensus that has been reached between the two sides, give full play to the role of the economic and trade consultation mechanism, and do more to reduce misunderstandings and strengthen cooperation by engaging in communication and dialogue in good faith.

The China-US relationship should be of a cooperative and win-win nature, not a zero-sum game. China’s loss, if any, will not become the US’ gain, but a loss for the US as well.