SF consul general calls for respectful relations

China's consul general in San Francisco has denounced the Trump administration's tariffs on Chinese imports, reiterated that "fentanyl is America's problem" and called for a peaceful, stable and sustainable China-US relationship. 

At a Wednesday meeting with the media at his residence, Consul General Zhang Jianmin emphasized the important role mutual respect plays in bilateral relations. "Only by respecting each other's core interests and major concerns can we ensure that the relationship moves forward on a sound and stable track," he said. 

Take the fentanyl issue for example, Zhang continued. "What China did has reflected our respect for US concern and in particular, our goodwill towards the American people."

Citing China's white paper titled Controlling Fentanyl-Related Substances-China's Contribution, which provides a comprehensive account of the situation, Zhang said China has in place the toughest policies and measures on counter-narcotics. 

Fentanyl is America's problem, said Zhang. "We don't have a fentanyl problem in China like here in the US, yet when the US side asked China for help in 2019, China responded by scheduling all fentanyl-related substances as a class," Zhang said, adding that China was the first country to do so. 

China has conducted counternarcotics cooperation with the US in a broad-based and in-depth fashion. "We educate our children; we crack down on drug kingpins; we send addicts to rehabilitation; we discipline stoned celebrities," Zhang said. "The achievements are hard won, and we hope the US can continue the positive dynamics in the counternarcotics cooperation."

However, respect has not been mutual, Zhang said. "The US has recently imposed a 20 percent tariff hike on Chinese goods under the pretext of fentanyl. This is, in the eyes of many, repaying kindness with enmity," he said.

Such US action has seriously undermined the foundation of China-US counter-narcotics cooperation, disrupted economic and trade ties, and harmed the health and stability of the overall relationship, Zhang said. "The Chinese people are deeply offended and strongly opposed to it."

Instead of solving the existing problem, a tariff war creates new problems, and hence makes things worse, said Zhang.

According to many economists, American consumers and companies will ultimately bear the cost of higher tariffs. It is estimated that because of the tariff increase, the average price of a smartphone in the US is expected to rise by $213, and that of a car by $3,125.

At a news conference during China's recently concluded two sessions, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi raised a series of questions regarding the US levying tariffs: What has the United States achieved from tariff and trade wars these years? Has its trade deficit increased or decreased? Has its manufacturing sector become more or less competitive? Has its inflation rate gone up or down? And has the life of its people got better or worse?

A tariff war and coercion offer no solutions, Zhang said, adding that such approaches will backfire and in the end do more harm to the US itself. 

China has set its GDP growth target at around 5 percent for this year,  and China has accounted for around 30 percent of global economic growth. 

"Our respective success can be translated into each other's opportunity rather than challenge, and our respective development can facilitate, rather than impede, each other's progress," Zhang said. "We are pleased to see that companies from California have participated in the China International Import Expo (CIIE) for seven years in a row. Each year, their exhibition booth has got bigger, and the number of participating companies has kept increasing.

"When I went shopping in Beijing, I was glad to see Napa wine and Californian almonds on the shelves. China's sustained development will present even more opportunities of mutually beneficial cooperation for both sides," he said.

junechang@chinadailyusa.com