China tries to counter narrative that ‘we lost’ in trade deal with Trump

A “big, beautiful monster” was the phrase President Donald Trump used before cheering supporters to describe his phase-one trade deal with China. His advisers are calling it a “win” for America.

But Chinese government media aren’t ceding a loss as the delegation from Beijing prepares to sign the document just before lunch at the White House today. One state media outlet defended China’s purchase commitments in the deal as necessary rather than a capitulation. Another compared the moment to “just the first round of a game,” cautioning against applauding the end of tensions.

Global Times, a state-owned newspaper known for its nationalistic stance, published two commentaries on Wednesday.

In one article entitled “A Key Agreement Amid Worsening China-U.S. Relations,” it wrote, “we have a few words to say to the Chinese public — don’t feel ‘we lost’ because China will increase purchase of American goods in the phase-one deal.”

“There was some imbalance in China-U.S. trade, and the purchase of U.S. products not only meets the needs of Chinese people’s consumption upgrade, but also strengthens bilateral ties and bolsters the relationship up in the right direction in the 21st century.”

In a separate editorial in English, it wrote, “the two countries are trying to get their trade relations back on track after a long detour. This will be a challenging task because the factors that triggered the trade war have not disappeared. So far, the losses caused by the trade war to both countries have been limited.”

Taoran Notes, a blog affiliated with state-run Economic Daily, published an article earlier this week calling for “a calm mind” and saying “the trade war is not over yet.” Taoran added that “there are a lot of uncertainties in future.”

Charting the Trade War

Britain’s exit from the European Union doesn’t just end its relationship with the bloc, but also with countries with which the EU has trade agreements. The U.K. government has already rolled over 20 deals, and is in negotiations for another 19, though several are looking unlikely to be finished by exit day.