China's ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, has urged Washington to find common ground with Beijing and pursue peaceful coexistence, while warning that China is ready to retaliate in the escalating trade war. This was reported by Reuters.
Xie Feng noted that the tariffs would devastate the global economy and drew a parallel between the Great Depression and the tariffs imposed by the United States in the 1930s.
Referring to concepts in traditional Chinese medicine such as the need to balance the opposing forces of yin and yang, the diplomat pointed out that harmony should guide relations between the world's two largest economies. "A good traditional Chinese medicine recipe usually combines many different ingredients that reinforce each other and create the best medical effect," he stressed.
He said the world is big enough to accommodate both China and the United States. We should strive for peaceful coexistence instead of clashing head-on, and help each other succeed instead of being trapped in a "lose-lose" scenario, the ambassador said.
The trade war has all but frozen trade between the world's two largest economies, with tariffs of more than 100% in each direction and a range of trade, investment and cultural restrictions.
While Japan, Taiwan and other countries are already negotiating or preparing to negotiate with Washington over the "Liberation Day" tariffs President Donald Trump, no high-level dialogue with China is currently planned.
China says the United States must show respect before any talks can take place. Xie Feng added that Beijing opposes a trade war and will retaliate against any country that imposes tariffs on it.