(Photo: CGTN)

China and the US reached agreements on some issues in their economic and trade consultations in Beijing from Thursday to Friday, and agreed to set up a work mechanism to keep close communication. 

The two sides agreed that a sound and stable China-US trade relationship is crucial for both, and they are committed to resolving relevant economic and trade issues through dialogue and consultation. 

The two sides had a thorough exchange of views on issues including increasing US exports to China, bilateral service trade, two-way investment, protection of intellectual property rights, as well as resolving tariff and non-tariff issues, reaching consensus in some areas. 

Both sides recognized that given that a considerable amount of differences still exist on some issues, continued hard work is required for more progress. 

They also agreed to stay in close communication on relevant issues and establish a corresponding work mechanism.  

This result should be said to be similar to what many observers had expected: China and the US did not reach an agreement to end the trade conflict, but the two sides are willing to maintain the dialogue process. Between negotiation and trade war, the balance began to tilt toward the former. 

Looking back at the wrestling between China and the US over trade issues in the past two months, it can be described as an unprecedented shake-up experience in Sino-US relations. 

From the perspective of Beijing, China has always been rational, dared to struggle, and was as firm as a rock. It has won the initiative to safeguard national interests and the interests of the Chinese people. 

When we read the above negotiation results, it is not difficult to see that they have made a big difference from the initial asking prices of the US. 

It must be said that this was first and foremost because of the effectiveness of China's countermeasures and struggles against pressure from the US earlier. 

The dialogue was held in Beijing. The US took the initiative to send a delegation to the country and its major trade officials rushed out. This is compared with the US side's 301 tariff plan and China’s arbitrarily threatening to levy tariffs on 100 billion US dollars of Chinese goods – a different gesture. 

According to sources close to the negotiations, during the dialogue on May 3 and 4, the Chinese delegation strongly attacked the accusations from the US and always stood firm on the moral high ground of safeguarding free trade and the multilateral trading system. The attitude was unwavering. This has given the US the assurance that China will never trade with its core interests. China is overwhelming. This has become unprecedentedly reliable for Washington. 

This round of trade conflicts has been widely referred to as the "trade war" by the public. The US is the offensive side and China is the defensive side. However, China's will and resilience are beyond the imagination of the White House and world public opinion. 

Today, Beijing has broken the psychological advantage of Washington’s pioneering efforts and consolidated its position in the momentum. The equal bargaining position between China and the US has really been established through the struggle. 

This Sino-US trade war has created an unprecedented test for China. It is a comprehensive review of China’s strength and courage and wisdom. The driving force demonstrated by Beijing this time fully corresponds to the complexity faced by China after it has grown into a big country. Our society shows the unity of shaking the world in the face of risks. 

Facing a trade conflict that it does not want to have, China has achieved the stability and maturity that a large country should have. 

It is impossible for China and the US to resolve all disputes through a single dialogue. However, as China and the US fight with two injuries and stir the whole world; if they combine, they will benefit the entire international community. 

This principle has been recognized by more and more people in the past two months. No one in China or the US can scare anyone. Finding the greatest common denominator is more effective in breaking the stalemate. It is meaningless that the two countries continue to engage in a game of “who blinks first.” 

China is indeed fighting for fair trade, and it is a just cause in the era of globalization in order to safeguard the world multilateral trading system. The rights and interests we defend are far beyond the borders of China’s own interests. This struggle can be viewed as an annoyance in the growth of international community.