On May 15, 2024, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi was asked for comment on the recent unilateral sanctions and tariff hikes imposed by the United States on Chinese products when he met the press together with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after the fifth round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue in Beijing.

Wang Yi noted that as the world has seen, over the past weeks and months, the United States has frequently imposed unilateral sanctions, abused the Section 301 tariff review process, and waged a campaign against China’s normal trade, economic and technological activities that borders on madness. This is a most typical case of hegemonism and bullying. It seems that some in the United States have lost reason in a quest to ensure U.S. unipolar supremacy. Taking unscrupulous actions against China does not prove the strength of the United States, but only reveals that the United States has lost confidence and direction. It does not solve the U.S.’s own problems, but will further impede the normal functioning of global industrial and supply chains. It will not stop China’s development and rejuvenation, but will only spur the 1.4 billion Chinese people to forge ahead with greater determination.

The WTO has drawn a clear conclusion that the U.S.’s Section 301 tariffs violate WTO rules and international law. People with basic knowledge of international trade believe that the U.S. actions hurt others as well as the United States itself. As one of the founders of the WTO, the United States has not only failed to be a role model in complying with WTO rules, but taken the lead in breaching them; it has not only refused to correct its mistakes, but kept making even more mistakes. Is this the “fair competition” that the United States champions? How does the U.S. keep its credibility in the international community?

Wang Yi stressed that unilateralism and protectionism go against the trend of the times and are bound to be crushed by the wheels of history. At this crucial moment for the global economic recovery, the international community needs to tell the United States: stop making more trouble for the world.