By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily
Once again, the U.S. administration is reaching for the blunt instrument of tariffs. Cloaked in the rhetoric of so-called “reciprocity,” the U.S. is moving to impose sweeping tariffs on all its trading partners, including China. Seeking unilateral advantage through maximum pressure, this approach runs counter to the very principles that have long underpinned international trade.
In response to this renewed economic coercion, China has taken and will continue to take resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security, and development interests, while upholding international fairness and justice. At the same time, China remains committed to high-level opening up and sharing development opportunities with the world for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.
China’s countermeasures are grounded in law, logic, and proportionality. The so-called “reciprocal tariffs” imposed by the U.S. are less about economic logic than power politics. At their core lies an outdated belief in “might makes right” and “America Only” hegemony.
China, a civilization steeped in the values of sincerity and trustworthiness, does not seek confrontation. But it will never back down under pressure. History has taught a clear lesson: threats and intimidation do not work with China. They didn’t in the past, and they won’t now.
Development, after all, is the legitimate right of all countries – not a privilege reserved for a selected few. Yet under the guise of “reciprocity” and “fairness,” the U.S. is playing a zero-sum game. Its tariffs are not tools of balance but instruments of disruption that will destabilize the international economic and trade order. Little wonder the world has taken notice – and pushed back.
The path forward lies not in economic brinkmanship, but in defending the international system with the United Nations (UN) at its core and the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its center. These institutions remain essential for creating an enabling environment for common development and prosperity. China’s firm countermeasures against U.S. trade bullying are more than self-protection – it is a defense of the international order and the principle that international rules should not be bent at the whim of the powerful.
The record speaks volumes. After years of waging a tariff war, what has the U.S. accomplished? China’s foreign trade has remained resilient, its economy has grown stronger, and its capacity to withstand external shocks has only deepened. Meanwhile, the U.S. has failed to reduce its trade deficit or revive its manufacturing base. Instead, American businesses and households have absorbed the pain of higher costs and disrupted supply chains.
Now, as Washington raises the tariff stakes once again, some temporary disruptions may follow, but China is more than prepared. With a vast economy and a comprehensive industrial system, China is transitioning from a manufacturer of quantity to one of high-quality, innovation-driven growth. It maintains trade relations with almost all countries and regions designated in the UN Statistics Division and stands as a major trading partner for more than 150 countries and regions. Even amid global turbulence, China’s commitment to win-win cooperation remains firm. Its development not only contributes to global growth but also reinforces its own resilience, fully capable of navigating and thriving through external shocks.
China stands firmly on the right side of history. Through continued opening up, it enhances its capacity for self-reliant development and brings predictability to an uncertain world.
To those who question whether China’s new development paradigm signals a retreat from opening up, the answer is unequivocal: the “dual circulation” strategy is not about closing doors – it is about ensuring that, even if others shut theirs, China still thrives. Its door is wide open, and the invitation to cooperation remains extended to all.
Under current circumstances, China’s choices reflect strategic clarity and long-term vision. In the face of containment and suppression, it remains focused on “doing its own affairs well” – a principle that includes unwavering pursuit of high-level opening up.
No matter how the international landscape shifts, China’s door to the world will only open wider, offering new opportunities for the world through its own development. China will steadily expand institutional opening up by proactively adopting relevant rules, regulations, management, and standards; promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation; foster a market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environment; and work with all countries to promote universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.
History does not wait for those who stand against the current. Openness and cooperation are the trend of the times. The world should not – and will not – return to isolation and division.
China-U.S. economic and trade relations are mutually beneficial and win-win in nature. The U.S. should view the relationship from the perspective of the fundamental interests of both peoples, set aside the tariff weapon, and work with China to protect a sound and stable global economic order.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)
