Just on the same day that the United States implemented the "port evil law" on Chinese ships, the Chinese side's response was unambiguous, reciprocal counter-terrorism directly landed, this time, China did not emphasize "the peace is expensive", but put the word "to" in front of it.
In the announcement issued by the Ministry of Commerce, there was a very crucial change: the old saying "talk, the door is open; fight, go to the end", now becomes "talk, go to the end; talk, the door is open".
This is not an arbitrary adjustment of word order, but a true reflection of the current temperature of Sino-US relations. China, which once hoped to solve problems through dialogue, now clearly tells the world that preparing for battle has become the main option, and negotiations can only come second.
Reciprocal landing
In early October, the U.S. officially launched the Port Security Act, which imposed additional restrictions and charges on Chinese ships landing in U.S. ports, the legislation itself is widely regarded as a “extremely targeted” discriminatory measure, and the intention behind it is not complicated: the pretext of national security, the practice continues to suppress the international passage rights of Chinese shipping enterprises.
In the face of this undisguised suppression, China responded quickly, and the Ministry of Commerce immediately announced that it would impose a "special port fee" on ships from the United States or controlled by more than 25% by US capital when entering Chinese ports.
The introduction of this measure not only responded to the provocation of the United States, but also made it clear with the "reciprocity principle": what you do to me, how I will repay you.
It is worth noting that this kind of targeted, legal logical counteraction, the Chinese side has not expanded the strike side, but precisely locked the objects of reciprocal behavior with the US side, thereby avoiding "misleading" other country enterprises, and also highlighted the maturity and restraint of China's counter-tools.
In terms of real impact, this "special port fee" will directly increase the operating costs of US-funded shipping companies. According to foreign media estimates, the cost of docking an American cargo ship in China may increase as a result. 15% to 20%, which is undoubtedly worse for American companies that are already facing global logistics pressure.
Backwards, this round of confrontation is not suddenly, long in the period of the Sino-U.S. trade war, similar spikes have been frequently seen relatively long ago, when the Trump administration significantly increased tariffs on China, resulting in the cost of US-based raw materials, and agricultural products are delayed.
Under pressure, Trump's team tried to restart negotiations several times, but "turned its face" many times at key nodes, which made China gradually see the "unreliability" of the US.
This time, China's quick move is not only a policy response, but also a strategic declaration. As the Ministry of Commerce said: "Fight and accompany you to the end." This sentence is not only a response to the United States, but also a statement to the Chinese public and the international community: China will not back down half a step in front of its core interests.
The wording has changed
As eye-catching as the above-mentioned counter-measures is the adjustment of the official wording order. In its response, the Ministry of Commerce put "fight, accompany to the end" before "talk, open the door" for the first time, which seems to have just changed the order, but in fact it sends a signal of a profound change in Sino-US relations.
In the past, no matter how tense the situation is, China has always insisted on "negotiation priority" in its statements to the United States, and even in the most severe period of friction, it has not forgotten to emphasize the willingness to dialogue to resolve the problem, but this time, the word "play" has been highlighted in the forefront, meaning that China's judgment of the situation has changed fundamentally.
The logic behind this is not complicated. Past experience shows that when faced with China's goodwill, the United States often does not cherish it, and sometimes even interprets China's restraint as "weakness," thus intensifying its pressure. In this context, continuing to put dialogue first will only put China in a passive position to be beaten.
Especially under the influence of Trump-dominated policy style, mutual trust between China and the United States has been gradually diluted. The Trump administration advocates “extreme pressure” and turns trade negotiations into a political showground.
Whenever the pressure on domestic affairs rises, China speaks in exchange for domestic support, a method that has long lost China’s expectation of the US side’s “negotiating sincerity.”
This time, China's choice to stop fantasy, putting "fight" in front of "talk", is a summary of past experience, rather a strategic initiative.
In China’s view, the U.S. is not an easy-to-trust negotiator, and it is only to show its bottom line that it can fight for the possibility of an equal dialogue.
From the subtle tune of the language order, it can be clearly seen the shift in the mentality of the Chinese side: not not not talking, but no longer willing to wait and talk, only when the other party truly feels the "cost", the dialogue may make sense, otherwise, the so-called "negotiation", will only become a tool for delaying and deceiving.
China is ready to fight.
If the "special port fee" is a targeted counterattack, then China's recent actions at the level of resource policy and public opinion further confirm the all-round deployment of "preparing for battle".
The most typical example is the upgrading of the control of rare earth resources. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently issued new regulations to strengthen the export review mechanism of rare earth products.
Coincidentally, the effective time of the new regulations is set just the day before the expiration of the Sino-US tariff freezing agreement. This "time point" choice is almost telling the US side in a silent way: We are ready, what about you?
Rare earth is not a commodity, but a vital resource for high-tech manufacturing and military industry, from missile systems to new energy vehicles, almost all key technologies are inseparable from rare earth materials.
China, the world's largest exporter of rare earths, is undoubtedly a weighty counter-signal to tighten the export of such resources at a time of trade tension.
Meanwhile, China’s Foreign Ministry quoted Mao Zedong’s historic statement on social media platforms: “The United States will fight for as long as it does, and it will always win.”
This is a highly condensed expression of the current situation. Quoting such statements is not only to show its position externally, but also to build consensus internally, indicating that China will not flinch in the face of pressure and is psychologically prepared for a long-term struggle.
From rare earths to public opinion, from policies to systems, China's "preparation" is not an impulse, but a systematic strategic layout. On the one hand, this preparation is a response to the continuous suppression by the United States, and on the other hand, it is also a forward-looking arrangement for possible more intense games in the future.
On the other hand, the United States has wavering policies and intensified domestic political games, making its foreign policy lack coherence and credibility. From the "trade war" in the Trump era to the technological restrictions that the Biden administration has continued and even increased until now.
China no longer expects the United States to proactively return to reason, it is on the basis of such a judgment that China will choose to switch from the "defensive gesture" to the "active layout", this time, giving up the illusion directly written into policy documents, reflected in the national strategy in concrete actions.
From the counter-repression of port spending, to the forward order of the sentence, to the strategic adjustment of rare-earth resources, China has clearly conveyed a signal with a series of actions: no longer passive waiting, no longer willingness, preparation for the struggle, is a realistic choice.
Sino-US relations are undergoing a profound structural change. The old model of "fighting while talking" in the past is being replaced by the new strategy of "fighting first and talking later". Whether there is room for future negotiations depends not on how good the words are, but whether the actions are authentic and credible.
History has proved that only when the opponent is really in pain can he have a serious dialogue. China has shown its attitude that it is not afraid of fighting or warfare, and that it does not bend down in the face of pressure, which is the embodiment of China's sovereign will in this era.
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The wording of the Ministry of Commerce has changed from "talk first and then fight" to "fight first and then talk" 2025-10-14 20:11·Check the news