On May 9, Consul General Li Nan published a signed article titled "Tariff bullying wins no hearts, while openness and cooperation is the right path forward" in the Northern Ireland mainstream media the Irish News. The full text is as follows:

I. The US Bullies the World Under the Pretext of “Reciprocal Tariffs”.

Since April 2, the United States, under the pretext of so-called “reciprocity”, has arbitrarily imposed tariffs against over 180 trading partners, including China, the UK, and the EU, to serve its own selfish interests.

A 10% “minimum baseline tariff” was set for all countries and regions, while tariffs ranging from 20% to 60% were levied on its main trading partners such as Japan, South Korea, the EU, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, etc. Shockingly, even the uninhabited Heard Island and McDonald Islands, known as the “Penguin Island” near Antarctica, were not spared. As for Chinese goods, the tariffs have been raised to absurd levels—from 34% to 54%, then 125%, and to some items even an outrageous 245%.

The US bullying storm has stunned the world, while a “90-day pause” game has only exposed its flip-flopping scheme. The US tariff war seriously infringes upon the legitimate rights and interests of all countries, seriously violates WTO rules, seriously undermines the rules-based multilateral trading regime, and seriously destabilizes the global economic order.

Facing such irrational acts, China has stated its firm opposition and taken necessary countermeasures. We have done so for our national interests, and more importantly, for the multinational trading system and international fairness and justice. By doing so, China has garnered widespread understanding and support from the global community.

II. The US Tariff War Has Caused Self-inflicting Losses, while Endangering the Global Economy.

Numerous economists, both in and outside of the US, have warned that the US’s reckless tariff hikes defy basic economic principles, driving up industrial production costs, reducing efficiency, eroding trade benefits, weakening competitiveness, and disrupting global supply chains.

The announcement of tariff hikes on April 2 witnessed the most severe market turmoil since the outbreak of COVID 5 years ago. The Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq indexes plummeted nearly 5% in a single day, sparking a global stock market crash that wiped out $4.9 trillion in market value within 24 hours. Meanwhile, the US dollar and Treasury bonds are facing a lingering crisis of confidence and credibility, with the dollar index having fallen below 100 and the bond market hitting historic lows.

Data from the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) in Washington reveals that under the new tariff policy, the US average tariff rate has surged from 2.4% at the start of the year to 15–20%, the highest level since the 1930s. Worse, over 90% of the tariff costs will ultimately be borne by US importers, downstream businesses, and consumers. A Yale University Budget Lab study estimates that each American household will lose an average of $4,400 due to tariff disturbance. US trade in 2025 is expected to shrink by 15–20%, inflation rate going up to 4.5%, and the unemployment rate exceeding 5%, bringing the risk of a US economic recession to 40%–65%.

Multilateral institutions warn that in the worst-case scenario, the US tariff war could slash 7% (or $7.4 trillion) from global GDP—equivalent to the combined economies of France and Germany. The IMF recently slashed its 2025 US growth forecast from 2.7% to 1.8%, while the global growth outlook was downgraded from 3.3% to 2.8%, citing heightened policy uncertainty and trade tensions.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) cautions that the US tariff spree poses grave risks to global growth and industrial development, undermining the ability of developing and least-developed countries to fully participate in global trade and reversing their progress in industrial modernization and economic diversification.

Opposition is running heat in both the US and outside. Since April 14, multiple US small businesses have jointly filed lawsuits against the federal government in the US Court of International Trade over its new tariff policies, and a coalition of 13 states—including California and New York—has also taken legal actions against the US administration on the same issue. Since April 4, government leaders from France, the UK, Australia, Italy, Singapore, and South Africa have publicly voiced their opposition to the irresponsible US trade policy. These developments underscore the widespread opposition to the US's controversial tariff measures across the globe.

III. The China-US economic and trade relations are mutually beneficial in nature. 

The US side has claimed that it has been “ripped off” by China through trade. This is not true.

The purpose of trade is to benefit both parties through transactions and exchanges. Over the 46 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US, bilateral economic and trade ties have developed rapidly. Two-way trade has surged from less than USD 2.5 billion in 1979 when diplomatic relations were established to nearly USD 688.3 billion in 2024, representing a 275-fold increase. The US is currently China’s No. 1 export market, and No. 2 import market, while China is the US’s No. 3 export market and No. 2 import market.

China has truly benefited from trade cooperation with the US and other countries, while China’s continued growth has in turn provided an ever-enlarging market for international companies including US businesses.

Statistics show that US exports to China support 931,000 American jobs, while more than 70,000 US companies operating in China generate annual sales exceeding USD 490 billion. Notably, China has been the largest buyer of US agricultural products for many consecutive years, purchasing 51.7% of US soybean exports and 29.7% of US cotton exports, delivering real benefits to American farmers.

There is no denying the fact that trade deficits exist between China and the US. However, it is also true that China does not pursue a trade surplus intentionally. As a matter of fact, the ratio of China’s current account surplus to GDP has dropped from 9.9% in 2007 to 2.2% in 2024.  

IV. Whether China-US bilateral trade is balanced requires comprehensive and in-depth assessment, and cannot be a look at the trade balance in goods alone.

The trade gap between China and the US is an inevitable result of structural problems in the US economy, as well as an outcome determined by the two countries’ comparative advantages and their international division of labor. While China has a surplus in goods trade with the US, the US holds a significant advantage in trade in services, being the largest source of China’s deficit in services trade, and posing a widening trend. According to the USDOC, from 2001 to 2023, US service exports to China expanded from USD 5.63 billion to USD 46.71 billion, an 8.3-fold increase. The US annual service trade surplus with China expanded 11.5 times to USD 26.57 billion, accounting for roughly 9.5% of the US total services trade surplus.

When the three factors of trade in goods, trade in services, and the local sales of domestic companies’ branches in each other’s countries are taken into full account, it can be seen that China and the US have benefited in a more or less balanced way from their economic and trade exchanges.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the US Department of Commerce, China’s share of the total US deficit in trade in goods has kept falling for six consecutive years, from 47.5% in 2018 to 24.6% in 2024, while the US trade deficit with other countries and regions has increased substantially in the same period. In 2024, the total US deficit in trade in goods reached USD 1.2 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 13%, exceeding USD 1 trillion for four years in a row.

Facts have shown that instead of narrowing the overall US trade deficit, tariff hikes on China have driven up import costs for the US, further widening its deficit.

V. China continues to inject stability and certainty into the world trade and economy through its own development in a responsible manner. 

There are no winners in trade wars or tariff wars. China’s position is clear and consistent: China does not want to fight, but China is not afraid of a fight. We will fight resolutely if provoked, and our door remains open for negotiation.

In response to the US escalating tariff bullying, China has taken firm countermeasures to impose reciprocal 125% tariffs on certain US imports while pointing out that the US imposition of high tariffs has degenerated into a ‘numbers game’ with no practical economic significance; if it continues the game, China will simply ignore it.

China believes that the only way to resolve China-US trade frictions is through consultations and negotiations based on equality, respect and mutual benefit. If the US is truly serious about a negotiated solution, it should stop all the maximum pressure, threatening and blackmailing. If war is what the US side wants, China will have no option but to fight to the end. As Chinese President Xi Jinping points out, “China’s development over the past seven decades is a result of self-reliance and hard work, not favors from others. China does not flinch from any unjust suppression. No matter how the external environment changes, China will remain confident, stay composed, and concentrate on managing its own affairs well.” Now, the ball is in the US court.

On May 7, China announced that, in light of the fact that US senior officials have repeatedly hinted at adjusting tariff measures and actively conveyed messages to China through various channels, expressing their hope to engage in discussions with China on issues such as tariffs, the Chinese side has carefully evaluated these messages and decided to agree to engage with the US side. Any dialogue and negotiation must be carried out on the premise of mutual respect, equal consultation, and mutual benefit. If the US says one thing but does another, or even attempts to use negotiations as a pretext to continue coercive and blackmailing tactics, China will never agree, nor will it sacrifice its principles or international fairness and justice to seek any agreement.

China’s economy has a solid foundation, strong resilience and great potential, with sufficient space and means to address external challenges. Since the US launched the trade war against China in 2017, no matter how the US has pressed, China has become “stronger under pressure”, maintaining development momentum and advancing progress.

China is accelerating efforts to foster a new pattern of development that is focused on the domestic economy but features positive interplay between domestic and international economic flows, while actively building diversified markets.

From the perspective of international markets, China is the main trading partner of more than 150 countries and regions. The share of exports to the US in China’s total exports has continued to decline, from 19.2% in 2018 to 14.7% in 2024, with total exports accounting for only 3% of China’s GDP. In addition, US foreign trade accounts for only 13% of global trade, leaving huge space for trade cooperation among the more than 190 countries with a share of the remaining 87%.

From the perspective of China’s domestic market, the middle-income population of more than 400 million people offers a huge buffer zone. With the introduction of favorable policies in finance, trade, employment, and social security, the trend of qualitative upgrading in household consumption has become evident. The potential of boosting domestic demand is becoming a strong driving force for economic growth, contributing 69.7% to GDP in 2024.

Furthermore, China continues to intensify scientific and technological innovation efforts, cultivate and expand emerging industries, strategically plan future industries, improve the modern industrial system, accelerate the development of new quality productive forces, and promote high-quality development. The “new trio” of electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and photo-voltaic products have delivered outstanding performances, while innovative achievements continue to emerge in cutting-edge fields such as airspace, artificial intelligence and quantum technology, etc. China’s fast-improving technological innovation capabilities, emerging new industries, new business models, and new growth drivers have jointly provided wings for China’s economic takeoff.

China’s GDP grew by 5.4% year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, laying a firm foundation to hit the GDP growth target of 5% in 2025. Various international institutions have perceived China’s “certainty” as a safe haven to hedge against the “uncertainty” from the US side.

VI. As a responsible major country, China remains steadfast in advancing high-standard opening up, safeguarding the multilateral trading system, and promoting an open world economy.

Nowadays, China’s overall tariff level has been reduced to 7.3%. In the past more than 40 years, China’s commitment to Reform and Opening Up has not changed, with Opening up constituting a basic national policy. China will continue to share opportunities with the world through reform and opening up in the coming years.

To further comprehensively deepen reform, advance high-standard opening up, and promote Chinese modernization, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee in 2024 introduced over 300 significant reform measures, which are to be accomplished by 2029. These include the complete removal of foreign investment restrictions in the manufacturing sector, with an overall shortening negative list for foreign investment. Starting from April 24, the Chinese Government has shortened the negative list for market access from 151 to 106 items, a 30% cut-off from 2018. China will continue to increase market access and provide better services and protection for foreign investment, and foster an increasingly internationalized, market-oriented, and law-based business environment.

China has also established a variety of international cooperation platforms including the China International Import Expo (CIIE), China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), Global Digital Trade Expo (GDTE), China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE), and China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE). These initiatives demonstrate China’s sincere commitment to proactively opening its markets and sharing development dividends with the outside world. The annual CIIE in Shanghai has become a vital platform for expanding imports and advancing high-standard opening up.

In 2024, China’s total imports reached CNY 18.39 trillion, marking a 2.3% annual growth. Over the next five years, China will provide an enormous import market worth up to USD 15 trillion, injecting new momentum into global economic development.

Since 2006, China has consistently contributed over 30% of world economic growth for more than 17 years, creating new opportunities for the world through its own development while striving to build a better world of lasting peace and common prosperity. To walk with China is to walk with peace and development, and walk with tomorrow and the future, walk with hope and opportunity.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping has emotionally pointed out, “We Chinese know only too well what it takes to achieve prosperity, so we applaud the achievements made by others and wish them a better future. We are not jealous of others’ success;  and we will not complain about others who have benefited so much from the great opportunities presented by China’s development. We will open our arms to the people of other countries and welcome them aboard the express train of China’s development”.

Since December 1, 2024, China has granted zero-tariff treatment to 100% of tariff lines for all least-developed countries having diplomatic relations with China, becoming the first major developing country and leading global economy to implement this measure. Through its own development and major-country responsibility, China has injected strong stability and certainty into world economic development.

An increasing number of countries have come to realize that, a more trustworthy China, rather than the unpredictable US, represents a far more reliable source of economic growth.

VII. China is willing to work with all countries to uphold the market rules of free trade, promote a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping has pointed out, “There is no winner in a tariff war, and going against the world will only result in self-isolation.” 

Free trade is the common choice for all countries to achieve economic prosperity, economic globalization is an inevitable path for the development of human society, and win-win cooperation is the universal expectation of the international community. The world should not regress to the dark age of the jungle law where the strong preying on the weak. Economic bullying in pursuit of a beggars-thy-neighbor policy will ultimately backfire.

In the face of US bullying, all countries are victims and the international community needs to show solidarity and joint action. Appeasement and caving in will simply invite more trouble and embolden the bully. Only firm opposition will convince the US to change its current course.

Both China and the UK are major trading nations and permanent members of the UN Security Council, and upholding multilateralism and the international trading system serves our common interests. It is hoped that all parts of the UK, including Northern Ireland, can join the majority of the international community in saying “no” to US “tariff blackmail” and urging the US to change its mind as soon as possible.

We should work together to defend true multilateralism, and oppose all forms of unilateralism, protectionism and bullying. We should replace conflict and confrontation with peaceful development, replace zero-sum games with win-win benefits, replace “small-yard high-fence” with open cooperation, stand on the right side of history, jointly promote world prosperity and stability, and advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.