Communist Party journal lays out China’s trade war stance ahead of possible Xi-Trump talks

Beijing wants a ‘win-win’ deal to end conflict with Washington but will ‘struggle to the end’ if necessary

Qiushi, or ‘Seeking Truth’, reflects leadership’s position and is required reading for all cadres

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A Communist Party journal has published a series of essays setting out Beijing’s stance on the trade war ahead of a possible meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump. Photo: AP

Published: 10:30pm, 16 Jun 2019Updated: 11:22pm, 16 Jun 2019

The Communist Party’s top journal set out the leadership’s position on the trade war in a series of essays published on Sunday, suggesting a “win-win” deal to end the dispute was still possible but vowing to “struggle to the end” if necessary.

Bimonthly journal Qiushi, or “Seeking Truth”, is required reading for all cadres and forms the basis for the rank and file of the party to understand the leadership’s position on key issues.

In the essays, the journal sought to clarify the party’s position on the trade war with the United States, laying out arguments that portray China as occupying the moral high ground in the conflict, while repeatedly questioning Washington’s logic for starting the dispute.

While China wishes to avoid a prolonged conflict, which would be in no one’s interest, it is prepared for one, the journal made clear.

The message comes ahead of a possible meeting – which Beijing has not yet confirmed – between President Xi Jinping and US leader Donald Trump during the Group of 20 summit in Japan later this month. The journal also reiterated Beijing’s support for the G20, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and other multilateral institutions.

In the main 13,000-character essay on US-China relations, it gave a 10-point explanation of the party’s stance, arguing that the conflict “comes down to whether the relationship is a zero-sum game or win-win, confrontation or cooperation, closed-door or open-door, monopoly or competition, unilateralism or multilateralism”.