The top US envoy to China has called for fair and reciprocal trade between the world’s two largest economies and expressed concern about projections that China’s dominance of global manufacturing will grow even further.
Ambassador David Perdue told business and government leaders in Beijing that China should be congratulated on becoming a manufacturing powerhouse but echoed fears in Europe and elsewhere that China’s exports pose a threat to factories and jobs in other countries.
“This is not healthy for the rest of the world,” he said in remarks to an annual dinner of the American Chamber of Commerce in China.
Mr Perdue was appointed by President Donald Trump, who has imposed tariffs on imports from China and many other countries in a bid to reindustrialise and boost factory jobs in the US.
China responded with tariffs on imports from the US. An ensuing tit-for-tat spiral drove tariffs sky-high before the two sides agreed to a series of 90-day truces.
In late October, both countries agreed to a one-year pause when Mr Trump met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea during a gathering of Asia-Pacific nations.
“They’ve been able to create the space we’ll need to work through a lot of tough, complicated issues,” Mr Perdue said.
China had reaped the benefits of free trade with the rest of the world while American companies have faced a series of barriers to the Chinese market over the years, the US envoy said.
“America’s not looking for a trade war but we are looking to get fair, free, reciprocal trade,” he said.
Mr Perdue said that work is under way for a visit by Mr Trump to China in 2026, and that Mr Xi is expected to visit the US this year too. Mr Trump has said he will come to China in April but neither government has confirmed a date.