Call for cooler heads in Sino-US dispute

On Wednesday, the United States published a proposed list of imports from China worth around $50 billion in annual trade it has targeted for additional tariffs. Nine hours later, China announced a list of US goods totaling the same value that will be subject to equivalent tariff hikes, fulfilling its promise of "retaliatory measures of the same strength and the same scope".

The proposed US list is something worthy of our attention. First, it covers approximately 1,300 products imported from China, including industries such as aerospace, information and communications technology, robotics and machinery. Media outlets in both China and the US describe it as "aiming at technology" and mainly targeting the country's grand "Made in China 2025" plan. The list also shows a desire to "contain" China's high-tech industries.

Of course, China's high-tech industries are not the primary cause of the US trade deficit with China, so the containment measures won't help the US narrow the deficit.