by Xinhua writer Wang Lei
BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- At a time when Beijing is seeking with utmost sincerity to settle its trade dispute with a capricious Washington, some hawks in the United States remain bent on a scheme of disinformation and extortion.
In a recent interview with Fox News, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro once again opened fire on China with a barrage of hackneyed lies including "stealing intellectual property," "forcing technology transfers" and "dumping into the U.S. markets."
Unsurprisingly, the long-time China-basher offered no solution to the dispute in his latest broadside. Worst of all, the verbal onslaught offered a distorted view of America's relationship with China.
On the matter of protecting intellectual property rights (IPRs), Navarro deliberately turned a blind eye to China's enormous and effective efforts in this regard.
China has joined almost all major international conventions on intellectual property. And Chinese firms always pay for the patents they use. In 2017 alone, the United States collected 7.13 billion U.S. dollars in royalties from China, a quarter of China's total, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. Also, technology transfers between Chinese firms and their foreign partners always occur on a consensual basis.
In order to build a more favorable playing field for both Chinese and foreign firms, China has improved its IPRs examination system and strengthened law enforcement.
In the Global Innovation Index recently published by the World Intellectual Property Organization, China's ranking moved up three spots to 14th in 2018. The report also notes that China remains the only middle-income economy among the top 30 countries.
Furthermore, accusations of Chinese fentanyl plaguing America are unreasonable and unfair. The United States has only itself to blame. It is the largest producer and consumer of fentanyl-related substances, and has failed to curb its long tradition of abusing prescription pain relievers.
Beijing, for its part, has been doing its part to help Washington. In May, it added fentanyl-related substances to a supplementary list of controlled narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances with non-medical use.
As on the fentanyl issue, the U.S. side should seek to solve its trade frictions with Beijing by shouldering its fair share of responsibilities. But first, it must quit lying, flip-flopping and, most of all, bullying.
Washington's China hawks need to bear in mind that Beijing will not give in or compromise on issues concerning the country's core interests. China has a convincing record here.
Decision-makers in Washington must recognize that cooperation is the only correct choice for the two countries. Furthermore, in a world of deepening interdependence, steady and spirited trade between the world's top two economies is not only mutually beneficial, but also conducive to global prosperity.
Regrettably, trade hawks like Navarro are too narrow-minded to accept the truth, or they are simply indulging in the fantasy that "the bigger the lie, the more people will believe it."
If Washington's China hawks continue to deceive and bully, they risk derailing the relationship to a point of no return, a catastrophe no lie is big enough to handle.
