China’s Premier Li Qiang said on Sunday that Beijing and Washington should choose dialogue instead of confrontation, as the two countries are locked in rising friction over tradetariffs and efforts to combat illegal fentanyl trade.
Li was speaking during a meeting with US Senator Steve Daines, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, who is the first member of Congress to visit Beijing since Trump took office in January.
The meeting also involved the leaders of several American businesses, including FedEx Corporate CEO Raj Subramaniam, Boeing Co’s senior vice president Brendan Nelson, Qualcomm’s CEO Cristiano Amon and Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla.
Li said relations between the countries “have come to an important juncture” and Chinese President Xi Jinping noted the two countries could become partners and friends that contribute to each other’s success during a call with Trump in January.
“Our two sides need to choose dialogue over confrontation, win-win cooperation over zero-sum competition,” he said.
China hoped that the US would work together to promote the steady and sustainable development of the China-US relations, he added.
China’s official Xinhua news agency reported Li also said there’s no winner in a trade war.
He said China welcomes foreign companies, including those from the US, to share development opportunities in the country. It will work to resolve reasonable demands of businesses and treat
domestic and foreign firms equally, the report quoted him saying.
During the first Trump administration, Daines served as a go-between when tariffs were also a major issue. Ahead of the trip to China, his office
said he is coordinating closely with the White House and will be “carrying President Trump’s America
First agenda.”
Since he arrived in the Chinese capital on Thursday, he has talked with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng to voice Trump’s ongoing call for
Beijing to stop the flow of fentanyl precursors from China. Additionally, he met with Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu.
Just months into Trump’s second term, relations between the world’s two largest economies have deteriorated. Washington slapped 20 per cent tariffs on Chinese imports, with Beijing hitting back with 15 per cent duties on US farm goods.
Trump is planning to impose “reciprocal” tariffs by increasing US duties to match the tax rates that other countries charge on imports “for purposes of fairness.” These reciprocal tariffs are expected to be announced on April 2.
Earlier Sunday, Li said at the China Development Forum that his country may see unexpected shocks, mainly from external factors.
