US is making trouble with its unilateralist approach: China Daily editorial

It is no joke to call the US the United States of Sanctions, as wielding an economic cudgel seems to be Washington's preferred means of persuasion or punishment.

On Aug 7, it initiated a first round of sanctions on Iran after it announced its withdrawal from the hard-won multilateral deal on Iran’s nuclear program, and more sanctions targeting Iran's exports of oil are due to take effect in November if Iran fails to meet its demands.

One day later, it announced it was imposing sanctions against Russia in response to accusations that Moscow used a nerve agent to poison a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain.

Early this month, it imposed sanctions on two Turkish ministers over a detained US pastor who is being tried in Turkey on espionage and terror-related charges.

And from early June, it has been imposing unfair tariffs on imports from China and it continues to threaten more in its attempt to bring China to its knees. It has also imposed high tariffs on imports from other trade partners.

What can be discerned from all this are the arrogance and highhandedness of the US administration.

The US does not regard and treat other countries as deserving of respect. With such a mentality, the US government believes it can do whatever it pleases as it considers itself to be exceptional and above others.

But while it might try and claim the moral high ground, in reality, its actions are only propitious to itself.

The US sanctions and tariffs have trampled over international laws and the norms by which countries, large or small, strong or weak, should treat each other.

Rights abused are still rights, and it is not for the US to decide what rights a country may enjoy.

Its actions are based on wishful thinking rather than sound prevision, and it is trusting to careless confidence in its strength rather than reason since its unilateral economic pressure against other countries will also likely harm globalized free trade, which will quite probably plunge the entire world economy into recession.

And with the European Union retaliating against US tariffs and launching measures in response to the US sanctions against its companies doing business with Iran and Russia, US unilateralism is at the cost of its prestige and image as the world leader.