To China, trade war is about defending its national interests

Editor's note: Ding Heng is a current affairs commentator. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Although the trade between China and the U.S. witnessed a moderation, uncertainties remain. No matter how Washington acts after a 90-day pause in imposing tariffs, China will stand firm in the face of any unilateral bullying practice.

First of all, China is determined to defend its economic sovereignty.

Washington has accused China of unfairly subsidizing key sectors of its economy and flooding the world with cheap goods, a central talking point backing its tariffs on Chinese goods. To some extent, this flawed accusation is an attempt to meddle in China's economic system, with an underlying mindset that Washington is perhaps unwilling to acknowledge openly: Washington finds it difficult to accept that China's economic success is based on a model different from the so-called Washington consensus. Let's not forget that the U.S. once looked to change China's system, which is a key reason why it agreed to China's 2001 accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO).

As a sovereign country, China is entitled to carry out policies independently in accordance with its own conditions. Judging from China's competitive advantages in sectors ranging from shipbuilding to electric vehicles, its industrial policies have worked well for its own development.

While it's certainly in China's interest to open its market to foreign businesses, China must decide at its own pace. It is a matter of making decisions by taking multiple factors into account. It can't be imposed upon China through coercive tariffs. In the 19th century, the British Empire fought wars with China due to conflicts over the opium trade, forcing China to make concessions and sign unequal treaties. Those days are gone.

In the meantime, Beijing's firm response to Washington's hegemonism is an effort to reject attempts to undermine China's role in global supply chains.

International supply chains have evolved over decades to achieve their current efficiency and sophistication. With intermediate goods taking up over 60 percent of its foreign trade, China plays an indispensable role in this system. China's industrial prowess has enabled consumers in many countries to access cheap consumer goods and multinational firms to lower costs.

On the other hand, China also benefits tremendously from global supply chains. Apple alone has supported millions of jobs in China through its various links to the country, not to mention the countless expertise China has learned from foreign businesses operating in the country.

Due to Washington's tariff policy, such a mutually beneficial pattern is under threat. The U.S. has targeted not only Chinese goods directly but also Asian countries like Vietnam, whose factories rely heavily on components from China. Reports have also emerged that Washington has pressured countries to restrict their own trade with China as a condition for reaching a deal with the U.S.

China is moving to counterbalance Washington's irresponsible behavior. Apart from resolutely opposing U.S. tariffs, Beijing has increasingly emphasized jointly maintaining supply chain stability in its economic dialogues with other countries. Contrary to Washington's wish, Beijing's steadfast support for free trade and open markets is prompting countries to further cement ties with China at a time when the American market is increasingly prohibitive. The EU has clarified that it won't sacrifice its trade with China, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaking about a policy to engage constructively with Beijing.

Following the China-U.S. meeting in Geneva, Washington said it was not seeking decoupling. This message can be understood in some ways as a sign that Washington has realized the futility of isolating China in global supply chains.

At the end of the day, China's explicit stance against Washington's protectionism is about defending its right to development.

The world is no longer in the era when colonial powers prospered through exploiting others. Based on the spirit of the UN Charter, all nations have equal rights to pursue development and improve their standard of living. In 1990, 67 percent of China's population lived in extreme poverty. As of 2020, China had eradicated absolute poverty. China's embrace of economic globalization played a pivotal role in making that historic poverty alleviation possible.

China's economy is 11 times larger than in 2001 when the country became a WTO member. When Washington claims that China has long taken advantage of the U.S., it is, in effect, delegitimizing China's development over the past few decades. This is not only misguided in an economic sense but also morally wrong.

It will be a strategic miscalculation if Washington underestimates China's determination to safeguard its legitimate interests. This resolve has nothing to do with selfishness. The logic here is that only when China safeguards its national interests well can it ensure its capability to deliver shared benefits to the rest of the world.

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