In the past two days, China-US economic and trade consultations were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
An interesting scene occurred after the first day of the talks: the US representative rushed forward and comforted public opinion with the words "very constructive", while the Chinese delegation left the venue chatting and laughing, with a relaxed expression.
The scene reminds us of the performance of U.S. Secretary of Commerce Bessent on Fox News a few days ago — he cheerfully declared that by his own words, China had replaced the chief negotiator.
Not happy for a few days, the one who burned his "prison" fire (the American translation is said to have translated the "players of fire will burn themselves" mistake into "Hell fire") and the "Elegance" negotiating representative who wanted to remove the East, appeared in the spring full of face on the Malaysian negotiation scene.
Surprised or not? Are you surprised?
Trump's optimism and Rubio's toughness
On the eve of the negotiations, Trump told the outside world aboard Air Force One that China and the United States "have a good chance of reaching a very comprehensive agreement." The president, who has always been known for playing tricks without common sense, is now showing a rare optimism.
But interestingly, Trump also revealed a detail: he will try his best to persuade the Chinese side not to continue buying Russian oil during his trip to Asia.
On the same plane, U.S. Secretary of State rubio showed a tougher stance, openly stating that the United States would not give up its support for Taiwan in order to reach a trade agreement with China. He even claimed that the United States would not consider an agreement containing such content, "let alone reach such an agreement because the conditions are favorable to the United States".
This contradictory statement reflects differences within the U.S. government’s policy towards China, with Trump hoping to reach an agreement to raise the support rate, while the hardships refusing to make concessions on any issue.
US infighting: hawks unexpectedly "fell out of favor"
The drama outside the negotiating table is equally wonderful.
According to US media reports, Commerce Secretary Lutnik, who is a hawk against China and known for his love of malicious words, has been reprimanded and alienated by Trump for making small moves behind his scenes, which triggered the second round of China's active counterattack. This "crazy uncle", who used to be a frequent TV guest, has almost disappeared from public view in the past week.
Trump even publicly stated that he was “completely unaware” of the U.S. sanctions that led to China’s counter-reaction, and accused Lutnik of “doing stupid things that disrupted talks with China.”
Americans are curious: is this old man okay?
In contrast, the Chinese delegation is stagnant and discreet, and observers point out that China does not seem to have hard indicators, but rather to negotiate with a relaxed mindset.
China's price is surprising, the negotiating gesture is proactive.
The surface is frightened, but underwater is floating.
Several international media reports, including the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times, that in the October talks, China for the first time raised the conditions to “completely abolish all U.S. tariffs and export controls”.
According to the media reports, Beijing has called for the “complete withdrawal of all unilateral tariffs” not only to eliminate all tariffs imposed by Trump since 2018, but also to abolish export controls against AI, chips and other industries.
These messages from the side showed that our price this time was high, the gesture was proactive, and the tactics were offensive.
German foreign ministers hit the wall, the western camp is cracked
In the face of the US, which is so harsh in China, the situation of its little ones is even more embarrassing.
For example, the new foreign minister of Germany, who originally wanted to replicate the tactics of his predecessor, went to Beijing after taking office. he proposed that during the preparation for the visit of the new German prime minister to China, it should be forced to do three things: easing rare-earth controls; not allowed to mobilize arms in the southeastern seas and not allowed to threaten to mobilize arms; sanction Russia and promote a ceasefire in Russia.
I wonder how many dishes this foreign minister has cooked and can drink like this.
It's a pity that he was born at the right time. The last time the "Trampoline Queen" came to Beijing to make a lot of nonsense, she had lost all her popularity with passers-by. This time when he came, no one would accompany him crazy. As a result, the new foreign minister was forced to cancel his trip because no one was visible.
The US media predicts pessimistically that the West faces a realistic test
Just as Bessent embarked on a rough path of negotiation, the New York Times published an article entitled “It’s time for the West to learn to bear “less” and “worse.”
The article is written beating around the bush. Here's a translation of the core meaning: the dollar will plummet, and Americans will live a hard life in the third world, so that the country can have hope and the boss can make profits. Everyone should consciously "overcome the difficulties together". Any dissatisfaction is populism, and any disobedience will be served by the president's old fist.
It is a great achievement to force Americans to begin to recognize the reality.
Who is more confident in the Sino-US game?
In retrospect, Trump showed little optimism before the negotiations, largely because he was aware of the actual difficulties facing the United States.
The largest market for U.S. soybeans is China, and some of the important minerals that the U.S. needs are also dependent on China.
The reason why China can be so tolerant is the irreplaceability of Chinese manufacturing and the huge domestic market as support.In today's deep development of globalization, it is almost impossible to complete the task of completely separate from Chinese manufacturing.
Observers pointed out that the Malaysian negotiations are regarded as crucial because it is the last negotiation between the two sides before the expected meeting between China, the United States and South Korea. The attitudes and bottom lines of both sides will be fully demonstrated in this negotiation.
The direction of negotiations tests the wisdom of both sides
At the moment, both sides are conducting final trials.
The US side continues to release contradictory messages: there is a very tough, to launch a new inquiry into China and possibly impose higher tariffs; there is also a relatively optimistic and reassuring expectation of the outside world.
This game is not only a simple trade negotiation, but also a strategic contest between the two big countries in the period of global pattern adjustment. China adheres to mutual benefit and win-win results and opposes zero-sum games. Just like the performance at the negotiating table-the US is engaged in a zero-sum game, but we insist on playing a game with "zero".
Some analysts believe that regardless of the outcome of the negotiations, China will continue to develop at its own pace, and the United States needs to make a choice, whether to cooperate or continue to confront.
Negotiations are still going on, and the good show is still to come. But one thing is already clear: today's China has enough confidence and wisdom to deal with any challenge.