Brilliant encouraged by Xi speech, warns against tariffs

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Myron Brilliant, executive vice president of the US Chamber of Commerce, on Tuesday welcomed the “positive tone” of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech to the Boao Forum for Asia.

Speaking shortly after President Xi announced new measures to further open up China’s economy, Brilliant told CGTN Digital the speech included an encouraging outline of China’s commitment to market access and reform.

“Xi Jinping’s speech was a good one. He laid out four areas which I think are important both for China and for the China-US relationship. He talked about market access, he talked about improving the investment climate, he talked about strengthening intellectual property reform, and he talked about finding a way to bring more imports into China.

Myron Brilliant (R), executive vice president of the US Chamber of Commerce, talks to CGTN Digital in Boao in south China's Hainan Province, April 10, 2018. /CGTN Photo‍

“Now the question is how these policies get adopted and implemented by the central government. I was encouraged by the speech, I thought he struck a positive tone about China’s reform and its commitment to market access and reform.”

Brilliant, representing the largest US business organization, reiterated his organization’s opposition to the implementation of trade tariffs and joined many other leading political and business figures at the Boao Forum in warning that “no [one] will win if there’s a trade war.”

He said “there’s a lot of dialogue going on behind-the-scenes” between China and the US, and expressed optimism that the current trade friction would be resolved.

“We are optimistic that the two governments understand the stakes, that we can de-escalate the tensions in the relationship. This is important for China, it’s important for the United States, and it’s important for the world economy.

“No one will win if there’s a trade war. But I take from President Xi Jinping’s speech today, a very positive and encouraging tone and signal not only to the United States, but to the rest of the world, that China is going to move forward and accelerate its market access reforms, structural reforms.”

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