US-provoked trade frictions cannot hinder China's development, says expert

LONDON - The US-provoked trade war cannot hinder China's development, and the world also needs China's development, an expert told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Jean Christophe Iseux von Pfetten, president of the Institute for East West Strategic Studies in Britain, said launching the trade war is a "typical American strategy."

"The United States (is) trying to use tariff as an enforcement mechanism to set their own agenda, and unfairly oblige China to accept it," said Pfetten, who was a diplomat and permanent representative to the World Trade Organization.

Pfetten pointed out that the measures the US government took against Chinese technology companies are not fair competition.

China's successful economic growth over the past decades has not only accumulated wealth, but also improved the competitiveness of companies, which he believes "the Western companies and particularly American companies would not have thought could go so far."

"The directives from (the) US government against Chinese technology companies are obviously not about national security," Pfetten said. "It's all about strategic competition."

Having been traveling between Europe and China a lot in the past years, Pfetten said he believes that China is already well-prepared for the economic and trade frictions.

He said the white paper issued by China earlier this month on trade consultations with the United States proved China's good preparation.

The white paper, titled "China's Position on the China-US Economic and Trade Consultations," provides a comprehensive picture of the China-US economic and trade consultations and presents China's policy position on these consultations.

It is based on "mutual understanding and win-win situation, (and it) stands on a global view of the interdependence of various economies," Pfetten said.

"The United States is not playing in a fair way, which is bad for China, bad for Europe, and also bad for the rest of the world. It's bad regarding economic issues and also bad in terms of peace," he warned.

The world needs China's development, which is not only an engine of the world economy, but also a driving force of balanced and peaceful development of the world, Pfetten said.