On February 21, He Lifeng, the leader of China-US economic and trade, and Vice Premier of the State Council, held a video call with US Treasury Secretary Becent at the request.
This is the first call between senior officials in the economic field in China and the United States since the Trump administration took office. Under the current severe situation of Sino-US relations and Sino-US economic and trade relations, what signals has this communication sent?
Economic and trade relations are very important, and we need to talk about the importance of China-US economic and trade relations in communication.
As President Xi Jinping emphasized on the phone call with Trump on the evening of January 17, the two great countries of China and the United States are pursuing their respective dreams and are committed to allowing people to live a better life. China and the United States have broad common interests and broad space for cooperation, and can become partners and friends. The essence of Sino-US economic and trade relations is mutual benefit and win-win results, and confrontation and conflict should not be our choice.
It is not difficult to find that China views and handles Sino-US economic and trade relations from the perspective of the common interests of the two countries and the peoples. The position is consistent.
In 2024, Sino-US trade volume increased by 3.7% against the trend, reaching US$688.28 billion. In recent years, Sino-US relations have experienced ups and downs, but huge scale of Sino-US economic and trade cooperation is still underway, which only shows that both companies and people both sides benefit from it and have the motivation to cooperate. Some countries do not say this but know this in their hearts.
Last year, the overall U.S. trade deficit hit a new high, up about 50% from before the tariff war began in 2017. Eight years have passed, and tariffs have not resolved the concerns of the United States. Differences and contradictions must ultimately be resolved through communication and consultation.
Serious concerns about the US tariffs on China
In this communication, China expressed solemn concerns about the recent restrictions on the US imposed tariffs on China.
Previously, in the face of the unilateral tariff measures against China initiated by the US, China did what it said and carried out a resolute tariff counter. During the call, China must have further clarified its principled position. If the US has other actions in the future, China will definitely take resolute measures to safeguard its own interests.
