Mutual respect in China-US ties stressed

China's consul general in San Francisco has denounced the Trump administration's tariffs on Chinese imports, reiterated that "fentanyl is America's problem", and called for a peaceful, stable and sustainable China-US relationship.

At a meeting with the media at his residence on Wednesday, Consul General Zhang Jianmin emphasized the important role mutual respect plays in bilateral relations. "Only by respecting each other's core interests and major concerns can we ensure that the relationship moves forward on a sound and stable track," he said.

Take the fentanyl issue, for example, Zhang said. "What China did has reflected our respect for US concern and in particular, our goodwill toward the American people."

Citing China's white paper titled Controlling Fentanyl-Related Substances — China's Contribution, which provides a comprehensive account of the situation, Zhang said China has put in place the toughest policies and measures on counternarcotics.

"We don't have a fentanyl problem in China like here in the US, yet when the US side asked China for help in 2019, China responded by scheduling all fentanyl-related substances as a class," Zhang said, adding China was the first country to do so.

Hard-won achievements

China has conducted counternarcotics cooperation with the US in a broad-based and in-depth fashion. "We educate our children; we crack down on drug kingpins; we send addicts to rehabilitation; we discipline stoned celebrities," Zhang said. "The achievements are hard-won, and we hope the US can continue the positive dynamics in the counternarcotics cooperation."

However, respect has not been mutual, Zhang said. "The US has recently imposed a 20 percent tariff hike on Chinese goods under the pretext of fentanyl. This is, in the eyes of many, repaying kindness with enmity," he said.

Such action has seriously undermined the foundation of China-US counternarcotics cooperation, disrupted economic and trade ties, and harmed the health and stability of the overall relationship, Zhang said. "The Chinese people are deeply offended and strongly opposed to it."

Instead of solving the existing problem, a tariff war creates new problems, and hence makes things worse, said Zhang.

According to many economists, US consumers and companies will ultimately bear the cost of higher tariffs. It is estimated that because of the tariff increase, the average price of a smartphone in the US is expected to rise by $213, and that of a car by $3,125.

"Our respective success can be translated into each other's opportunity rather than challenge, and our respective development can facilitate, rather than impede, each other's progress," Zhang said.

"We are pleased to see that companies from California have participated in the China International Import Expo for seven years in a row. Each year, their exhibition booth has got bigger, and the number of participating companies has kept increasing."