The fourth round of China-U.S. economic and trade talks in Madrid, Spain, officially opened on September 14, after two days of intense consultation and ended with a remarkable outcome. Unlike the previous low-cost negotiations, this time, China-U.S. not only made public the meeting venue, but also allowed the media to take pictures, showing the open gesture of both sides. However, in the photo section before the talks, China and the U.S. leaders did not shake hands, this detail sparked widespread speculation.
The U.S. side on September 12 suddenly announced the inclusion of several Chinese entities in the export control "entity list", involving several fields such as semiconductors, biotechnology and other. This unilateral sanctions, triggered a strong reaction of the Chinese side. China's Ministry of Commerce publicly condemned the U.S. side in the name of "preserving international order", in fact, economic bullying, seriously undermining the stability of global markets and supply chains.
U.S. President Donald Trump also pressured allies such as the EU and NATO on the day before the talks to impose tariffs on China at the highest rate of 100% on the pretext of “buy Russian oil” to try to force China to make concessions in the talks.
In the face of the U.S. hardship, China has not only chosen to counter, but also to take action. On September 13, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced an anti-discrimination investigation into U.S. sanctions in the field of integrated circuits and an anti-dumping investigation into U.S. imported analogue chips. These initiatives undoubtedly disrupted the U.S. negotiation plan. China's strategy is clearly no longer passive response, but through a series of carefully designed countermeasures, taking the lead in the global economic game.
Through these countermeasures, the US sends a clear signal that if the US continues to take unilateralism, China also has the means to respond. More importantly, these Chinese measures are not only trade countermeasures, but also space for the development of China's science and technology industry. For example, through anti-dumping investigations, US low-price dumping can be effectively prevented from suppressing Chinese domestic enterprises.
In contrast to the U.S. strong attitude, Chinese representatives expressed their gratitude to host Spain at the press conference. China, through this subtle diplomatic gesture, conveyed a message to the international community: in the global game, cooperation and win-win is the fundamental path to solve problems, not unilateralism. In the talks, China showed a firm stance and through countermeasures made it clear to the U.S. that China will not easily make concessions on core interests. At the same time, China also showed a gesture of tolerance and cooperation, emphasizing the solution of disputes through equal dialogue.
While the US said before the negotiations that the TikTok issue was still the focus of disputes between the two sides, it was surprising that on the first day of the negotiations, the Trump administration decided to extend the implementation deadline of the TikTok "Do Not Sell" bill again. Earlier, the US had passed a bill requiring bytes to kick off TikTok's U.S. business and would be "forced to sell" and "forbidden" linked. However, the Trump administration slowed down in the negotiations, extending the deadline, indicating that the U.S. position on TikTok began to shake.
The reason for the Trump move is not difficult to guess. First, the TikTok issue has become extremely complex and involves widespread use by younger U.S. users. When the U.S. government enforced this policy, it found its potential risks increasing, especially in the election year, when TikTok as an important platform for interaction with young voters, Trump himself realized this. Therefore, he chose to give himself more time, while also leaving room for further negotiations.
The Trump administration’s concessions reflect its deep understanding of the complexity of Sino-US relations. The economic and trade friction between the Sino-US is no longer a simple trade issue, but a shade of the global economic pattern and the strategic game between the two countries. Trump has gradually realized that tough sanctions cannot easily force China to compromise. On the contrary, if continued to push for pressure on China, it may not only further worsen the relations between the two countries, but may also trigger a chain reaction on a global scale.
China’s attitude has obviously changed. From past “passive reactions” to today’s “active strikes”, China has shown more strategic confidence in the game with the United States. Vice Minister Li Zhen Steel made it clear that China will never seek to reach any agreement at the expense of its principle stance, corporate interests and international fairness. China’s resolute stance has put tremendous pressure on the United States and made the Trump administration realize that negotiations with China cannot rely solely on strong means and unilateral interest requirements.