US should show good faith to honor important consensus through actions: China Daily editorial

In his video call with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer late on Friday, Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng called for Washington to work with China to implement the important consensus reached between the two heads of state on building a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability based on respect, fairness and reciprocity, and to promote the stable and positive development of economic and trade relations between the two countries.

The call came at a telling moment as the United States has been busy implementing various restrictive economic and trade measures against China. Such moves are enough to fuel Chinese concerns about Washington's sincerity in seeking to stabilize trade relations.

The series of restrictive measures targeting China, from sanctions on two Chinese companies over alleged Cuba ties, to the Federal Communications Commission's move to bar Chinese laboratories from testing electronic devices destined for the US market, and the threat to investigate and sanction Chinese artificial intelligence companies over alleged model "distillation", paint a picture of a major country that says one thing while doing another.

Each trade restriction runs counter to the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, eroding the foundation of trust and offsetting the efforts both countries have made in their bilateral trade consultations to put China-US economic and trade ties onto a stable and healthy terrain.

It is only natural that Beijing should raise its concerns with the US side, urging Washington to resolve their trade issues through dialogue and negotiations.

In the video call, both sides agreed that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, they would further leverage the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism, continuously strengthen cooperation and properly manage differences so as to promote the stable and positive development of China-US economic and trade relations.

US companies have taken part in all nine editions of the China International Import Expo since 2018, consistently with the largest exhibition space — over 50,000 square meters at the ongoing CIIE. That should drive home the message that the vast, vibrant Chinese market is still a draw for US businesses. The demand is real, and so is the space for cooperation.

For Beijing's part, its stance on advancing China-US economic and trade ties remains consistent: On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun emphasized that maintaining the stable development of China-US economic and trade relations serves the interests of both countries and their peoples. He called on both sides to move in the same direction and adhere to mutual benefit and win-win results.

To that end, the US should remove its unfair restrictions and work with China to keep the economic relationship on a stable track. Washington cannot expect to simultaneously seek stable economic relations while imposing unilateral measures designed to contain China's industrial upgrading and technological capabilities.

It is high time Washington matched its words with deeds and stopped creating trouble for China-US trade ties.

If the US only pushes China to increase imports of its agricultural products, while failing to implement its own commitments under the consensus, and constantly piles on additional restrictive measures against China, is that what it calls "respect, fairness and reciprocity"?