NEW YORK - The Chinese and U.S. business communities should have more direct contact to stave off trade tensions, and more rational voices on bilateral ties should be heard by the public, a business insider has said.
“It’s essential to hold more direct exchanges between the countries’ business groups, chambers of commerce and other professional organizations to remove some adverse impacts of (U.S.-China) trade frictions,” Steven Gu, board treasurer of TN-China Network, told Xinhua in a recent interview.
TN-China Network is a Tennessee-based business organization that connects people across Tennessee and China to strengthen their business ties and enhance bilateral trade and investment.
“Such communications would promote mutual understanding and trust. Businesses of the two countries can also find some solutions through consultation,” said Gu, who is also an experienced attorney and a certified public accountant.
He pointed out that the collateral damage from the U.S.-initiated trade disputes with China have gradually shown up on various fronts so far, especially among trade-sensitive companies and ranches in the United States.
Gu said some ranch owners with whom he had spoken have shifted their stance on Washington’s trade policy toward China, recognizing their losses could not be compensated by the short-term U.S. government subsidies if the United States and China fail to reach an agreement on trade issues.
That’s because agricultural contracts are normally based on long-term cooperation.  Once their Chinese buyers sign long-term purchase agreements with partners in other countries, U.S. farmers will suffer huge losses, according to Gu.
The biggest risks facing businesses of the two countries also come from constant uncertainty not only in how much tariffs the United States intends to levy on Chinese imports, but also in the caprices of Washington’s trade policy, Gu noted.
Yet he praised a recent open letter by former U.S. politicians and well-known scholars, saying that more rational voices are needed to shed light on the U.S.-China trade tensions for the mass public.
A group of 100 U.S. academics, diplomats, military and business experts signed an open letter published earlier this month, saying that branding China an enemy was counterproductive and calling on Washington to reexamine its policy toward China.
“Always blaming China can do nothing to help resolve trade problems. With the letter published, more objective and rational voices were heard by the public,” said Gu. “You’ve got to present different and inclusive voices, so that Americans can judge by themselves.”
He added that such opinions would also prompt more people to reconsider how to view the frictions and controversies between the two countries.
Moreover, the business insider also expressed his confidence in China-U.S. relations in the long run, given the historical development of bilateral ties over the past 40 years. (Xinhua)