On March 27, Consul General Li Nan published a signed article titled "Tariff War by the U.S. Harms Others Without Benefiting Itself" in the Northern Ireland mainstream media the Irish News. The full text is as follows:

Recently, the United States unilaterally announced to impose a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, disregard of the latter’s strong opposition. It announced to impose two additional 10% tariffs on Chinese exports, raising the total rate to 45%, resulting in China's counteraction. The U.S. also announced tariffs on $28 billion worth of European Union goods, and the EU stated that it would retaliate counter tariffs on €26 billion worth of U.S. goods. These actions indicate that a tariff war, initiated by the United States against the world, is looming ahead. China has repeatedly pointed out that there are no winners in a trade or tariff war. The unilateral tariff offensive by the U.S. severely violates WTO rules, cannot solve U.S. domestic problems, and more importantly, does not benefit either side, still less the world. China firmly deplores and opposes this move.

The Tariff War Will Backfire and Severely Damage the U.S. Economy

Increasing tariffs is a self-inflicting strategy that only causes the hardworking American people to bear the brunt. Historically, none of the U.S. initiated multiple tariff wars have yielded any desirable positive outcomes. In the 1930s, to combat the Great Depression, the U.S. enacted the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, imposing tariffs of over 50% on nearly 2,000 categories of imported foreign goods, which had only decreased U.S. exports by 66% in the following years. In the early 2000s, to save its declining steel industry, the U.S. imposed a 30% "protective" tariff on imported steel, sparking strong opposition from trade partners, and raising costs for U.S. industries reliant on steel, and resulting in the loss of nearly 200,000 jobs. Currently, while tariff policies may superficially benefit some U.S. domestic manufacturers and retailers, they face even higher raw material import costs and supply chain disruptions. According to S&P Global Ratings, if tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico fully take effect, U.S. consumer prices could rise by up to 0.7% at once. Data from the American think tank The Conference Board shows that after the tariff policy was announced, the U.S. Consumer Confidence Index dropped from 105.3 in January to 98.3 in February, with a significant loss of 7 points, marking the largest monthly decline since August 2021 and the third consecutive monthly drop. Additionally, the previous U.S. trade war against China did not reduce the U.S. trade deficit with China; instead, China's trade surplus increased from 323 billion in 2018 to 361 billion in 2024. Both historical and current evidences have fully proved that "protectionism" is a dead end, "decoupling" is counterproductive, and a "tariff war" will not make America great again.

The Tariff War Will DisruptInternational Trade Order and Hinder Global Economic Recovery

Firstly, in today's interconnected world with interdependent economies, the random striking of U.S. tariff "big stick" will surely cause uncertainty in trade policies, cast shadows over the economic and trade relations of affected countries, and harm the interests of people worldwide. Imposing additional tariffs will definitely destabilize global supply chains, leading to higher production costs and reduced efficiency. Many countries and regions are watching closely these development and expressed their strong opposition. Recently, a research report from the London School of Economics and Political Science suggests that based on U.S. tariff proposals during the election period, UK's GDP could be cut by 0.14%. Secondly, the U.S. unilateral imposition of tariffs while insisting on an "America First" policy, undermines the principles of fairness and justice in international trade, severely violates WTO rules, and sets a typical example of unilateralism and trade protectionism, dealing a significant blow to the multilateral trading system and exacerbating the risk of a global trade war. Thirdly, the U.S. unilateral tariff imposition threatens global economic recovery. The "tariff war" will further dwindle global trade volumes, triggering structural issues such as insufficient global effective demand, high debt levels, and income inequality. According to the IMF, U.S. tariff policies may reduce global economic output by 0.8% in 2025 and 1.3% in 2026, and inevitably impede global economic recovery.

China Will Embrace an Open World Economy and Resolutely Follow Its Own Path of Development

The U.S. has frequently instigated trade frictions against China,  essentially aim to politicize and weaponize economic and trade issues, and to contain and suppress China. China is willing to develop a steady, sound and sustainable bilateral relationship with the U.S. based on the three principle of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation, as proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping on many occasions. China-U.S. trade relations are based on two-way and reciprocal interactions. Only cooperation will bring about mutual benefits and win-win outcomes, and China will definitely take countermeasures in response to arbitrary pressure. Tariff and trade wars cannot solve problems, nor can they stop China's development. While the U.S. is busy imposing tariffs, China has shortened its negative list for foreign investment, achieving "zero" restrictions on foreign investment in the manufacturing sector; while the U.S. is busy building "small yard with high fence," China's DeepSeek embraces open and inclusive technological innovation, promoting AI technology from monopoly to multilateral sharing; while the U.S. is tightening visa policies, the Chinese government has reached comprehensive visa exemption agreements with 26 countries and implemented transit visa exemptions for 54 countries, ushering in an upgraded version of "China Travel." China has always been a constructive force for common development of the world, while embracing an open world economy. As the second largest economy in the world, China has contributed to around 30% of global growth annually on average in the past 15 years. China is the major trading partner of over 150 countries and regions, and remaining the largest trader in goods and the second largest importer for years running. China will continue to expand high-standard opening up, and share the vast opportunities of Chinese modernization with all countries. China will safeguard the multilateral free trade system, foster an open, inclusive and non-discriminatory environment for international cooperation, and advance a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, playing the role as a stabilizer and propeller for the global economy.

One will not be seen in a more favorable light after blowing out others’ lamp; nor will they go farther by blocking others’ paths. Looking ahead, all countries should work together to build a fair, just and prosperous world of common development, promoting a more open, inclusive, and balanced economic globalization.