US tariffs will do more damage to ties

Editor's Note: On Aug 1, the day after the 12th round of China-US trade talks concluded on a "constructive" note, according to US negotiators, the United States threatened to slap 10 percent additional duties on another $300 billion of Chinese goods starting Sept 1. And on Tuesday the US designated China as a currency manipulator and China announced to partly suspend purchase of US farm produce. Why has the US gone back on its words again? And is there a threat of a breakdown in the talks? Two experts share their views on the issue with China Daily's Liu Jianna. Excerpts follow:

Efforts needed to rescue bilateral ties

That Washington has gone back on the consensus reached by the two heads of state on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka in June suggests the US leader believes the new 10 percent tariffs on another $300 billion of Chinese-made goods will earn him more votes in the 2020 presidential election.