China not responsible for US trade deficit

Onus on US to improve its position on supply chain

Since the US has had a trade deficit for four decades, the problem cannot be solved overnight. More importantly, urging China to reduce exports to the US will not reduce Washington's trade deficit.

The onus is on the US to take measures to improve its supply structure and quality, by loosening its control on the export of some special products, and increasing the volume of its energy and resource exports.

The US also has trade deficits with Germany, Mexico, Japan and some other countries. Yet the Trump administration hasn't decided whether it wants a strong or a weak dollar. A strong dollar will consolidate the US' leading role in the world economy, but also raise its trade deficit. A weak dollar, on the other hand, will help boost US exports, but at the same time weaken the economic status of the US.

Although the US can export a lot more oil and natural gas to countries such as China, it lacks the necessary infrastructure facilities to do so. For instance, its west coast doesn't have a port that can handle the export of natural gas. So, it should build such a port.

Hopefully, US President Donald Trump's anticipated visit to China will help resolve such issues and facilitate the stable development of bilateral economic and trade relations.

Lyu Xiang, a researcher at the Center for China and Globalization as well as the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences