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Monday, June 17, 2019, 14:36
Hypocrisy of short-sighted politicians
By Zhong Sheng
Monday, June 17, 2019, 14:36 By Zhong Sheng

Instead of playing fair, Washington pursues goal of benefiting the US while harming other countries

(LUO JIE / CHINA DAILY)

Editor’s note: With trade tensions rising, some politicians in the United States are destroying their self-trumpeted moral principles with their excessive pursuit of self-interest. Their policies and practices have become the biggest obstacle to the market economy. Zhong Sheng, a columnist for People’s Daily, shares his views.

Imperialism disguised as cloak of ‘ideals’

Some US politicians talk of “free, fair and reciprocal trade”, but they use tariffs to try and blackmail other countries. They talk about “creating an open investment environment”, but in fact they try to suppress foreign companies without any substantial evidence. When the US encounters problems at home, they choose to deceive the public and shift the focus of domestic attention abroad. They talk about international responsibilities almost every day, but choose to unilaterally withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement and other multilateral deals. They proclaim the US is an “important force” for maintaining world peace, while the country wantonly interferes in other countries’ internal affairs and undermines peace and global stability.

A recent Gallup poll found that in 134 countries surveyed, the number of people with a positive view of the US continues to decline, down nearly 20 percentage points from a few years ago. Nowadays, more and more people realize the truth of the US style of morality: What is in the US’ interests is “moral”, and what does not help the US achieve its “America First” strategy is “immoral”.

The disdain for common morality has exposed the extreme pragmatism of some US politicians. In their eyes, international exchanges have no value and rules are not be obeyed.

Their so-called morality is nothing but a tool for them to fight for the right to speak, to create public opinion, and ultimately to seek personal gain. In this way, US policy is imperialism under the cloak of “ideals”.

A man cannot be a man without morality nor can a country prosper without morality. True international morality is not only the basis for harmonious international relations, but also the consensus of the international community that some values need to be respected.

As a global power, the US should shoulder its due responsibilities, and the more complex the problems, the more it should show its demeanor and wisdom in solving them.

In today’s world, the international influence of a country does not depend solely on its own strength. In the final analysis, it depends on maintaining common values, promoting consensus, achieving broader cooperation and ultimately achieving mutual benefit.

US pays lip service to talk of free trade 

The US has unilaterally provoked trade disputes with other countries, erected “tariff barriers” and closed its door on free trade. Some international media outlets have published cartoons with the theme of “the emperor’s new clothes”, revealing the US’ self-deceptive words and deeds. But despite the firm opposition from other countries to its trade protectionism, the US refuses to abide by the rules.

The US has got used to contradicting its words with actions. When the US announced it would impose tariffs on Chinese imports, a top White House economic official said they would probably not be implemented, as it was just a negotiating tactic.

Another senior White House trade official said the US defends free trade but argued that what the current US government supports is only free, fair, equal and balanced trade. Some US politicians have declared the US “will continue to call for a free, fair and mutually beneficial economic relationship with China”, while simultaneously pushing for the imposition of 25 percent tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods exported to the US.

We need to “listen to what a person says, but also watch what he does”, is the cautionary advice of an old Chinese saying. If the US truly supports free trade and is as committed as China to building an open world economy, it should show sincerity and take actions to solve the trade disputes, rather than going back on its words and implementing tariffs.

If the US truly embraced free trade and shared the world’s desire to promote common development, it would not have stuck to its stubborn stance at the G20 finance ministers’ and central bank governors’ meeting in Germany in March 2017, which, for the first time, resulted in their joint communiqué making no mention of promoting free trade and opposing protectionism.

Freedom and equality are the basis and premise for international trade, and supporting free trade and opposing protectionism are the core values and basic principles of the World Trade Organization.

“Fair competition” from the mouth of the US is nothing but its defiance of the WTO principles of multilateralism, inclusiveness and non-discrimination.

In the era of economic globalization, it is important to uphold the rules and make a bigger cake for the common interests of all countries, rather than adhering to an arbitrary and selfish approach.

Washington’s claims fail to hold water

In the name of national security, the US government has added Chinese high-tech enterprises to its list of sanctioned entities. The enterprises or individuals on the list need to obtain relevant licenses to purchase or receive transfers of US technologies. Is targeting other countries’ enterprises with state power in this way the “market economy” and “free competition” US politicians trumpet?

The US has got accustomed to presenting itself as a champion of the market economy, and pointing accusing fingers at other countries’ development models. Yet it upholds international rules only when they are to its advantage and ignores them when they are to its disadvantage.

Over the past year, the US administration has frequently used the excuse of “national security” to set obstacles in the way of foreign investments in the US, including investment from Chinese companies, and successively foiled several acquisition and merger deals involving Chinese companies. Some US politicians also seek to persuade US consumers not to buy anything made in China.

The hegemonic logic of these politicians is: The world has to buy what the US can produce, while developing countries can only export low value-added products and services to the US. They must unconditionally give way to the “America First” strategy, become a dumping place for US products, and remain suppliers of low-end products.

According to a World Trade Organization study, the US is by far the biggest rulebreaker. Raising tariffs has become a tool for the US to clamp down on its trade partners. With the purpose of maintaining the US’ technological hegemony and advantage, some actions of the US government have seriously undermined fair, open and cooperative market economic rules.

The US administration should understand how the market economy works. By trampling on the spirit of contract, undermining the rule of law, and distorting fair competition, the US is the one foiling its “America First” ambition.

In the age of economic globalization, all countries have become increasingly interdependent and intertwined. The US government’s actions to undermine market economic rules will only increase the burden on US consumers and weaken the competitiveness of its enterprises.

US gives stems of thorns, not flowers

If Washington truly pursues reciprocity, why does it impose tariffs on other countries and unabashedly brag about the tens of billions of dollars in revenue that the tariffs will generate for the US while gloating in the misery they cause its trade partners.

As the main founder and long-term leader of the multilateral trading system, the US used to take the lead in trade liberalization and investment facilitation. By virtue of its advantages in technology, capital and rules, the US established a global value chain dominated by transnational corporations and gained huge benefits in the global market, especially the Chinese market. According to official statistics of the US, from 2009 to 2016, the investment stock of US multinationals in China increased by 111.4 percent, while sales increased by 140.3 percent and net income by 151.3 percent. This demonstrates the US has not suffered from the global value chain, but gained from it.

However, the US is reluctant to see other countries perform well. In order to maintain its leading position and ensure its dominance, the US even mobilizes administrative power to suppress other countries’ technology enterprises under various “unwarranted” charges, so as to win space and time for US enterprises to seize the market in the high-tech field and maintain their monopolistic position in the international industrial division of labor.

Top US officials have even been lobbying governments around the world to refuse to cooperate with Huawei on the grounds of “endangering national security”. Not only Chinese companies, all competitors in the eyes of US politicians are a “thorn in the flesh”.

Some US politicians are eager to perpetuate a development model in which developing countries export low-value resources, goods and services to the US, while the US exports dollars, financial products and low-end technologies to the rest of the world. In today’s interdependent global village, joint development remains a general trend. The act of “withholding from others rose blooms and giving them thorns” is bound to be spurned by more people.


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