US ‘must abandon zero-sum mindset’ in its dealings with China, Beijing says
- Foreign ministry deplores US’ sabre-rattling tone over trade and security
- Washington think tank bangs drum for tit-for-tat retaliation
China on Friday called on the United States to stop seeing China from a “zero-sum” game perspective and demonstrate sincerity on trade talks ahead of a meeting this weekend between their leaders to defuse tensions over trade.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the US should be confident enough to encourage more exchanges between it and China, rather than attempting to stop them.
His remarks came after a report by conservative think tank the Hoover Institution called for “tit-for-tat retaliation” such as denying visas to Chinese journalists to halt an influence campaign that, it said, targets American freedom and democracy.
The report also recommended actions such as paying government subsidies to US companies hit by punitive measures from the Chinese government. It called on US think tanks to boycott Chinese academics when Chinese institutions refused to open their doors to American opinion.
Geng responded that exchanges between China and the US should be conducive to mutual understanding and cooperation.
“We hope and believe that the US will keep its confidence. In China, we have the ‘four confidences’, and we hope the US will also have that,” Geng said, referring to one of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s catchphrases that means confidence in choosing development paths, guiding theories, political systems and culture.