Solution to hot issue needs cool heads

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Editor's note: With a doctoral degree in communications from the Communication University of China, the author has been working in the field of international journalism for 30 years. The article reflects the author's opinion, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

At the invitation from the US side, a Chinese delegation will attend a new round of trade discussions later this week. The discussions will be co-chaired by the US Treasury’s Undersecretary for International Affairs, David Malpass, and his Chinese counterpart, Vice-Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen.

The decision came amid an escalating trade war launched by US President Donald Trump to solve what he called the trade deficit between his country and China.

At the announcement, media reports and public expectations in both countries have varied from cautiously optimistic to skeptical of the outcome of the talks.

People with the cautiously optimistic view agree that it’s a good thing for the two countries to start talking again, but they argue that the talks are only at the vice-ministerial level, which may not produce any tangible results.

Some people think this is yet another strategy by the Trump administration to win the midterm elections. Others also express the hope that the talks will set the stage for higher-level officials from the two countries to follow suit till an agreement is reached.

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross (2nd-L) and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He (R) arrive to attend a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on June 3, 2018. /VCG Photo

However, some people are more pessimistic about the issue as US President Trump has nullified previous agreements reached by officials from the two countries through negotiations. They say Trump has his own agenda to follow despite complaints and criticisms from home and abroad.

What caught my attention is the fact that the process of the trade war coincided with the change of the seasons: it started with the arrival of summer and escalated with the rising temperatures of the season, while the new round of talks was initiated by Washington when the cool breezes of autumn came along.

Although nobody knows for sure what the outcome of the talks will be, I hope that both sides would seek a solution to the hot issue with cool heads.

Patience is needed because the issue stems from complicated factors over a long period of time. As long as the two sides are willing to sit down for talks, they can identify their disparities and common grounds, which will lead to better understanding of each other and sounder solutions to the trade deficit issue between two of the world’s largest economies.

(Cover: The combined photo shows Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen (L) and the US Treasury’s Undersecretary for International Affairs, David Malpass. /Photo VCG)