US actions contradict principles of free trade

In response to US' actions of provoking economic and trade frictions with China, foreign guests invited by the International Department of the Central Committee of the CPC said in a recent interview that unilateralism and protectionism contradict the principle of free trade, urging the United States to settle in good faith trade tensions which are detrimental to not only the US and China but other countries.

Ndinga Makanda, a member of the Political Bureau of Congolese Party of Labour, said by resorting to unilateralism and trade protectionism, the US government's behavior contradicts the principles of free trade, hindering the common development of the international community.

"Under the general trend of globalization, escalating trade frictions is equivalent to declaring war on all humankind. The Republic of Congo stands firm against US' behavior and trade bullying," Makanda said.

Noting that China has released its official white paper, "China's Position on the China-US Economic and Trade Consultations", Makanda said the white paper demonstrates with detailed data that China has not taken advantage of the US in the bilateral trade as alleged by the Washington administration.

"We have seen the sincerity demonstrated by China, so we hope the US can put on the same sincerity to settle the trade tensions," he added.

"Trade frictions will have a negative impact on China, the US and the world," Malam Sambu, Guinea-Bissau's ambassador to China said. Sambu, who has lived in China for more than 30 years, said he had witnessed China's fast development under the right policies.

"Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China has created a winwin situation for China and Guinea-Bissau, and boost economic development in Africa," Sambu said, adding that he hopes more countries should learn from China and pursue cooperation instead of treating other countries as enemies.

Nuri Turkees, a member of the leading commercial committee of the Patriotic Party of Turkey and Chairman of Bincan Tours company, said China is now one of the most important economies in the world and a very reliable trading partner. Developing trade relations with China will bring more opportunities to the rest of the world.

"It is an effortless and crude way for the US to start a trade war with China and impose high tariffs, and I condemn this unilateral action," Turkees said, adding that "People all over the world can see China's great economic achievements and the improvement of its people's living standards. But the US is unwilling to accept the fact that China's rise is not a threat and has chosen to self-serving protectionist measures. It's not going to work."

Turkees said China has a huge domestic market, innovation potential, and advanced technology, and is confident to tackle the challenges of trade frictions. "The world needs China's development, which is not only an engine of the world economy but also a driving force of balanced and peaceful development of the world, Turkees added.