It starts with Central Europe.
This major railway artery connects China and Europe, and a large number of goods enter the European markets through Poland every day.
The Polish government. Under the pretext of "maintaining domestic security", the border passage with Belarus was directly closed.
In this connection, the Central European ban line is broken.
The Chinese Foreign Minister went specifically to Poland and had in-depth exchanges with the Polish side.
Polish officials have assured that they will do their utmost to maintain the normal operation of the Central European line and will not affect this important trade channel.
After a few days of talks, the Polish border was closed and goods could not pass.
This move has completely angered China.
China immediately launched Plan B, which had been prepared for a long time.
by BelarusBe the first to stand up, They say China is their “best friend that can always be trusted” and are willing to provide all possible help.
Kazakhstanand not backward, They pledged to double the volume of Chinese goods transited through their countries.
Azerbaijani moved even faster, and they expedited the construction of the container terminalIt is specifically used to accept goods shipped from China.
Turkey is also starting to optimize its rail system., in preparation for undertaking more cargo tasks in China.
Seeing this situation, Poland can't sit still.
Looking at the "transit expenses" that originally belonged to them to be earned by others, the Polish government hastened to reopen the border.
Unfortunately, it is too late, and once the credibility is broken, it is not so easy to rebuild.
This move in Poland actually reflects a bigger problem.
Since Trump was president for the first time, the United States has been there. Think about how to cancel China’s “most favourite country treatment.”
This idea is very popular in U.S. politics. Many politicians feel that China is developing too fast and should no longer enjoy special treatment for developing countries.
The WTO was originally the "judge" of global trade, responsible for formulating and enforcing international trade rules.
In these years, The function of this organization is becoming weaker.
The United States, with a bunch of allies, is trying to build a new trade network to circumvent the existing multilateral trading system.
China sees it very clearly that it is better to take the initiative than passively waiting for others to challenge.
Renounces any new special and differential treatment, this decision sounds like a loss, but it is actually a clever strategy.
It needs to be clarified that what China has given up is "new" special treatment, which does not mean admitting that it is already a developed country.
From the perspective of per capita income level, China is indeed a developing country.
This positioning is very important, Neither will it let other developing countries feel that China has “rebelled,” nor will it leave a pretext for Western countries to attack.
China's role has changed fundamentally now.
Previously a beneficiary of the multilateral trading system, it is now more of a contributor.
China has not only benefited from international trade, but more importantly, it has begun to assume the responsibility of maintaining the global trade order.
The benefits of this change are obvious.
Other countries, especially those that are still fighting for special treatment, will have more confidence in China.
Instead of competing with them for limited preferential policies, China can help them get more convenience.
The United States and Europe are now facing a very embarrassing problem.
On the one hand, they want to “deindustrialize”, move manufacturing elsewhere, and on the other hand find that Chinese goods are inseparable.
People in Europe and America have become accustomed to the high quality and low price of Chinese goods.
If it is really "decoupled" from China, prices will soar immediately, and the living cost of ordinary people will increase significantly.
Politicians can scream slogans, but the ballots are real, who dares to damage the people’s wallets?
What's worse is, The U.S. and European industrial structure overlap is very high, are engaged in high-end manufacturing and service industries.
Even if they really want to rebuild manufacturing, they can’t do China’s scale and efficiency in a short time.
The U.S. is indeed struggling to build a new trade network and wants to reduce its dependence on China.The problem is that ideals are abundant and reality is bone-sensitive.
After decades of development, the global industrial chain has formed a complex network. Wanting to reshuffle the cards doesn't happen overnight.
China has shown enough wisdom and patience in this process.
No hurry, step by step, pushing the WTO back on the path of fairness and justice.At the same time, strong trade relations have been established with more countries through initiatives such as the Belt and Road.
Judging from the current situation, the trade relationship between the United States, the West and China may remain "at arm's length" for a long time.
On the surface, there may be some frictions and differences, but in fact, the economic ties between the two sides will become closer and closer.
China's abandonment of new special treatment this time is actually planning for the future.
In this way, China’s position in the international trade system has been enhanced, and the power of speech has been increased.
Other countries would be more willing to cooperate with China because they know that China will not afford them.
Poland’s move of the “card neck” has unintentionally provided China with an opportunity to show its strength.
It was only when alternative routes were quickly established that Poland realized that it was not irreplaceable.
This lesson is a vivid lesson for other countries that want to "get stuck in China's neck".
China’s strategy is clear: not to take the initiative, but not to be afraid.
Through win-win cooperation, gradually build a fairer and more reasonable international trade order.
Source of information:
· Official website of the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China-Official Statement on Waiving Seeking New Special and Differential Treatment
· World Trade Organization official website-policy documents related to special and differential treatment for developing countries
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China - Chinese Foreign Minister's visit to Poland
· Official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland-Border Control Policy and Relevant Statement on China-Europe Freight Express Transportation
The official website of the Presidential Office of Belarus - Lukashenko's open statements on China-Belarus friendly cooperation
Government Resolutions and Commitments to Expand China’s Goods Transport Cooperation
China-Europe Line Transport Coordination Committee - Operational data and statistical reports on alternative transport routes