Blame lies at Washington's door for talks breaking down

In a quick response to the white paper Beijing released on Sunday elaborating its stance regarding trade negotiations with the United States, Washington said on Monday it "is disappointed that the Chinese have chosen ... to pursue a blame game ..."

At this point, the blame game is centered around who has backtracked on commitments. In its lengthy white paper, Beijing blamed Washington for "backtracking" on three occasions. In its reply, Washington accused Beijing of moving "away from previously agreed-upon provisions" after agreement was reached "on a number of important matters".

Putting who started it and who is pursuing it aside, the blame game is counterproductive, harmful, and potentially dangerous.