Bessent's 'underwater kicking' allegation perfect metaphor for US' 'water polo' play: China Daily editorial

While it is a memorable metaphor, it is also an almost perfect inversion of reality. Speaking to Fox Business, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent compared Sino-US economic relations to a water polo match, claiming that "Under the water, the Chinese seem to have done a lot of kicking lately", and that "If we have to, we'll kick back".

But Washington has not ceased expanding restrictions on Chinese technology and industry. In May, it tightened artificial intelligence chip export controls by closing so-called "loopholes" for Chinese-headquartered companies operating overseas, extending US jurisdiction far beyond its borders.

In June, the Pentagon baselessly added 65 Chinese entities to its Section 1260H List of alleged "Chinese military companies". Then, in late July, the US Federal Communications Commission moved to block imports of Chinese-made advanced robotics and power inverters, despite acknowledging the restrictions would raise costs and slow aspects of the US' own AI development.

The pattern continued on Friday, when Washington placed over 40 Chinese entities on its so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List" — just one day after Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng held what both sides described as a candid and constructive video call with Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

This is not evidence of Chinese "kicking", but a US campaign of "underwater kicking" that has become broader, more systematic and increasingly disconnected from its stated goal of stabilizing relations.

Bessent's metaphor therefore reveals more than what he perhaps intended. The US administration casts itself as the reluctant "rules-abiding" player, forced into a defensive posture by what it projects as Chinese "dirty tricks". Yet it is Washington that is resorting to such unsporting behavior, erecting new barriers across semiconductors, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and trade.

The US has stretched "national security" to cover virtually all major sectors, disregarding the strong appeals of the US business community. By using administrative powers to disrupt commercial exchanges, Washington continues to push its de facto "decoupling" and "supply chain fragmentation" strategy. These coercive actions benefit no one — they are classic cases of market distortion and unilateral coercion.

Reuters recently photographed Bessent's own handwritten notes during a Cabinet meeting, revealing plans to purchase billions of dollars' worth of Japanese yen. The carefully visible notebook might be an exercise in signaling financial markets without making an official announcement — the very sort of below-the-surface maneuvering that Bessent hypocritically accused China of.

The US seeks to contain China's development while preserving stable ties. In practice, however, Washington treats periods of stability as tactical pauses — opportunities to secure what it still needs from China, notably rare earths, before pressing ahead with its broader strategy of constraining China's rise. That explains why before and after almost every dialogue between the two sides the US introduces another round of restrictions.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged this week that any economic or military conflict between the US and China would be catastrophic for both countries and the wider world. On that point, at least, there should be little disagreement.

Despite this, the US administration remains hellbent on pressing ahead with its ill-advised China policy — a strategy that has increasingly come to weigh on the US economy itself. It is no coincidence that Bessent's remarks coincided with second-quarter US GDP figures showing annualized growth slowing to 1.5 percent, down from 2.1 percent in the first quarter. Washington has long had a familiar instinct when domestic headwinds gather: redirect attention outward.

Bessent tried to dismiss the figures as "very noisy", blaming "technical factors". But a neutral observer might reach a rather different conclusion.

Bearing the bigger picture of Sino-US relations in mind, Beijing, for its part, has responded rationally to the US moves to protect China's legitimate rights and interests.

The US Treasury chief should remember one lesson from the sport he invokes. In water polo, the player kicking beneath the surface often does so because he is struggling to stay afloat. The US' technological lead remains in some sectors. But preserving that advantage requires confidence, not perpetual escalation. If Washington continues mistaking competition for a zero-sum game, it may find that the turbulence it complains about is largely of its own making.