(Source: "Guangming Daily" 2025-04-08)
In recent years, the United States has frequently implemented economic and w88 protectionist measures, wielding the big stick of tariffs and w88 controls, building high walls, and politicizing and ideologicalizing economic and w88 issues, exacerbating the crisis of anti-globalization and bringing more uncertainty to the recovery of the world economy. In April, the Trump administration launched the "reciprocal tariff" weapon. The United States imposed a 10% baseline tariff on imported goods from all countries, and imposed differentiated tariffs of 20% to 49% on 16 economies including the European Union and Japan. Among them, Chinese goods will be subject to an additional 34% tariff.
At the same time, Trump declared that the United States has entered a "national economic emergency," triggering turmoil and unrest in global markets. The "reciprocal tariff" policy implemented by the United States is essentially a unilateral w88 protectionist behavior using tariffs as a tool. Its core logic is to force other countries to make concessions by raising tariffs on imported goods, thereby safeguarding its own economic interests. However, world economic development requires concerted efforts and joint maintenance by all countries to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results. w88 facilitation and liberalization are in the interests of all countries. The United States has increasingly shown serious protectionist, unilateral, nativist, and pragmatic tendencies in its foreign economic policies. In particular, the so-called "reciprocal tariff" unilateral policy implemented this time is actually a short-sighted strategy that harms others and itself. In actual operation, it will inevitably lead to a "lose-lose" situation, which not only directly harms the interests of the global economy and trading partners, but also has a negative impact on the United States' own economy, businesses, and consumers.
Indiscriminate tariffs harm global interests
The United States' implementation of the "reciprocal tariff" policy this time bypassed the World w88 Organization's dispute settlement mechanism and unilaterally increased taxes, which undermined the international community's efforts to establish a multilateral trading system after World War II, impacted multilateral w88 rules, dampened the confidence of countries around the world in promoting economic globalization, and set a negative example, which may trigger a herd effect and prompt more countries to adopt economic and w88 protectionist measures. The risk of global w88 fragmentation is rising, and the trend of world economic and w88 frictions may intensify, which will affect global economic recovery and common development.
The calculation method of "reciprocal tariffs" in the United States has been widely questioned. Even people from American research institutions described it as "without any basis" and "completely fabricated out of thin air." This "reciprocal tariff" measure has caused the average tariff in the United States to soar from 2.5% to 22%, which is far higher than the average tariff level of 5% in developed countries and China's average tariff level of 7%, and also higher than the average tariff level of 10% to 15% in emerging economies. Such a high level of tariffs will inevitably lead to counterattacks by powerful trading partners. Economies such as China, the European Union, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and South Africa, which are currently major trading partners of the United States, have expressed their opposition to the U.S. practices, or have quickly implemented retaliatory tariffs against the United States, or are preparing to take countermeasures involving key areas such as agricultural products, automobiles, and energy. It can be seen that the US approach is bound to form a vicious cycle of "tit for tat" w88 war and disrupt the global economic and w88 order.
The w88 war caused by the "reciprocal tariff" policy of the United States will inevitably spill over to areas such as investment, technology, and financial cooperation, further fragmenting the global economy, causing poor operation of industrial and supply chains, and increasing costs. Some high-tech industrial and supply chains face the risk of interruption due to the dual superposition of technical controls and high tariffs on key products, restricting global scientific and technological cooperation and comprehensive progress. Some labor-intensive industrial and supply chains will be unsustainable due to rising export costs and re-export costs. The majority of developing countries will become victims due to a lack of bargaining power. In particular, emerging countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Latin America, and Africa that undertake industrial transfers will have worsening w88 conditions, and their economic interests will be harmed. The tariff policy has triggered pessimism among global investors about future economic development expectations, which will create a panic effect, directly impact the global capital market, and reduce global wealth.
“Reciprocal tariffs” backfire on the United States
The burden on American consumers will further increase. The imposition of additional tariffs will directly push up the prices of imported goods from the United States. In particular, the prices of consumer goods such as daily necessities and electronic products will rise significantly. According to research by a U.S. think tank, due to the price transmission after additional tariffs are imposed, U.S. consumers and businesses will eventually bear more than 90% of the tariff costs, and the average annual household expenditure will increase by thousands of dollars. The "reciprocal tariff" policy has seriously eroded consumer welfare, and the general public has become the payer of the vicious increase in tariffs, which is bound to cause widespread dissatisfaction, bring about social unrest, and damage the U.S. business environment. In recent days, large-scale demonstrations and some panic-buying behaviors have taken place across the United States. They are not only an expression of the American people's dissatisfaction with Trump's policies, but also their concerns about the impact of rising prices on their own interests. It is evident that the policies are unpopular.
The operating difficulties of American companies will further increase. Many industries in the United States rely on imported raw materials and intermediate goods. After tariffs were raised, corporate costs surged and profit margins were compressed. What's more serious is that some companies will be forced to lay off employees or shift production due to interruptions in raw material imports and damage to the industrial chain. As people's consumer spending increases, workers in the United States, where labor unions are strong, are bound to demand higher wages, which will also put more pressure on companies. The measures and intentions that the Trump administration has been promoting to reshor manufacturing and vigorously attract foreign investment are bound to be difficult to achieve due to increasing business operating costs and retaliation from major trading partners, as well as high labor costs and aging infrastructure restrictions in the United States. Export-oriented U.S. companies will also be hit by retaliatory tariffs.
Inflation will cause policy dilemmas. Tariffs have pushed up the price of imported goods, coupled with supply chain disorders, which have been an important driver of high inflation in the United States in recent years. The Federal Reserve has been forced to radically raise interest rates to curb inflation. Tight monetary policy has increased corporate financing costs and expanded the risk of economic recession. The United States has gradually fallen into a policy dilemma between "controlling inflation" and "maintaining growth." While this "reciprocal tariff" policy has greatly increased the risk of imported inflation, it has also weakened global investors' expectations for the development of the world and the U.S. economy, forcing the Federal Reserve to enter into an interest rate cut cycle that is difficult to advance. The Trump administration's fantasy of using "reciprocal tariffs" to stimulate U.S. economic growth and employment growth may not be realized.
China remains determined to cope with adjustments to the external environment
Currently, the global economy has formed a highly interconnected pattern of "you are among us, and you are among me." The Trump administration's fantasy of solving the w88 imbalance problem through the "reciprocal tariff" policy can only bring "lose-lose" results. We must solve our own problems through multilateral consultations and domestic reforms, rather than beggar-thy-neighbor confrontational games. Historical experience shows that open cooperation is the best way to promote growth, maintain stability and improve welfare. Faced with the changes in the external environment caused by the United States, especially the various economic and w88 pressures and regulatory actions to curb China's rise, China needs to maintain its composure, persist in internal reform and innovation, open up and cooperate with the outside world, and do its own thing well while safeguarding economic globalization and safeguarding the fundamental interests of the world.
First of all, we must strengthen our confidence and clearly understand that our country has the strength and ability to respond to the United States's arbitrary tariffs and curb its suppressive behavior. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, we have long faced suppression and containment by the United States. However, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, China has become stronger and stronger, and has worked hard to change the situation of "one poor and two white". Especially since the reform and opening up, my country has achieved economic rise. It has become the second largest economic power in the world in terms of GDP, the first largest exporter, the second largest importer, the third largest foreign investment stock, and its economic strength is not what it used to be. Entering a new era, China's global integration continues to deepen and its international influence continues to increase. "Made in China", "Constructed in China", "Services in China" and "Chinese Technology" are popular around the world. China has the ability to cope with the economic and w88 suppression by the United States. In recent years, in the face of the United States' increasing containment measures, China has still maintained a high economic development rate. Its scientific and technological development, especially in emerging fields such as digital technology and artificial intelligence, has not stalled due to U.S. suppression, but has continued to make breakthroughs. The circle of international friends has not shrunk due to US containment, but has continued to expand. It has increasingly become a representative of safeguarding the interests of the global South and is recognized by more countries. China's ability and means to cope with complex international situations have been continuously enhanced. The timeliness and effectiveness of the introduction of domestic and foreign policies have demonstrated political wisdom and ensured the resilience of economic development, making it difficult for the United States to fully contain China.
Secondly, we must do our own things well internally and improve our ability to resist risks through our own development. Promote the construction of a unified domestic market, advance supply-side structural reform, actively expand the domestic demand market, increase the contribution of consumption to economic growth, and reduce the impact of the U.S. "reciprocal tariff" policy. Actively promote self-reliance in science and technology, achieve independent innovation, increase investment in key areas such as chips, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, new energy, and new materials, strengthen the research and development of basic technologies, create an environment for innovation and entrepreneurship, focus on the construction of scientific and technological talents, break through "stuck neck" technologies, improve the market efficiency of scientific and technological factors, smoothen production, distribution, circulation, and consumption, and enhance the resilience and autonomy of the high-tech industrial chain. Taking the free w88 pilot zones and free w88 ports as the starting point, we will actively promote institutional and mechanism innovation, continuously optimize the business environment, and form a strong attraction for domestic and foreign resources.
Finally, we must step up cooperation with foreign countries and adopt flexible measures to safeguard China's interests and the world economic and w88 order. Promote the diversification of w88 markets and actively explore emerging markets in the EU and the Global South. Vigorously promote regional economic integration and fully implement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. We will deepen cooperation mechanisms such as BRICS, SCO, China-Africa, China-Latin America, and China-Arab States, expand the “Belt and Road” circle of friends, and promote economic globalization in a more open, inclusive, universally beneficial, and balanced direction.
Attached original link:https://app2.gmdaily.cn/as/opened/n/4f14273d075b42039b9c78c0694d5a9a
