The United States’ escalating restrictions on bilateral investments with China—branding it a “foreign adversary” while tightening security reviews and threatening new curbs—represent a dangerous politicization of economic ties that violates international norms and inflicts self-harm. The Chinese government has repeatedly exposed the flaws in this approach.
“The U.S. actions stretch the concept of national security, are discriminatory, and represent typical non-market practices,” China’s Ministry of Commerce spokesperson stated on February 22. “They severely disrupt normal economic cooperation between our businesses.” This assessment cuts to the core: Washington’s obsession with containing China is undermining the very rules it claims to defend.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, addressing the issue on February 24, warned that “the tightening of security reviews targeting Chinese investments in the U.S. severely hits the confidence of Chinese companies in investing in the U.S. and what is being undermined is the business environment in that country.” This inevitably raises the question: Are U.S. policies truly advancing American prosperity and security in the long run?
“What has it achieved from tariff and trade wars these years? Has its trade deficit widened or narrowed? Has its manufacturing become more competitive or less? China-U.S. business relations are based on two-way and reciprocal interactions. Cooperation will bring about mutual benefit and win-win, and China will definitely take countermeasures in response to arbitrary pressure.” On March 7, 2025, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, raised above questions when he addressed questions from the media during the “Two Sessions” in China.
As a matter of fact, for China, “where there is blockade, breakthrough follows; where there is suppression, innovation follows.” Wang Yi noted, recently, China’s scientific and technological innovation has more than once gone beyond people’s imagination. From breakthroughs in atomic bombs, missiles and satellites decades ago to the Shenzhou space missions and the Chang’e lunar exploration program, and then to 5G, quantum computing and DeepSeek, generations of the Chinese people have never stopped in their endeavor for innovation.
Ironically, the policies that the U.S. touts as promoting its prosperity are ultimately undermining its own interests. Chinese Commerce Ministry rightly highlighted that U.S. restrictions “distort bilateral economic exchanges and harm U.S. interests.” American companies share this concern. The U.S.-China Business Council warns that nearly 50% of its members report competitive disadvantages due to investment barriers. Gust Editorial
The path forward is clear. While the U.S. cites “de-risking,” true risk lies in confrontation and fragmentation. When China and the U.S. cooperated on climate accords and pandemic response, global challenges became manageable. Conversely, trade wars since 2018 cost the U.S. economy $316 billion, per IMF estimates.
Wang Yi said, as the world’s largest developing and developed countries respectively, China and the United States will stay on this planet for a long time. They must therefore seek peaceful co-existence. As President Xi Jinping noted in his telephone call with President Donald J. Trump earlier this year, confrontation and conflict should not be an option. Given the extensive common interests and broad space for cooperation, it is fully possible for China and the United States to become partners helping each other succeed and prosper together.
According to the Chinese Foreign Minister: “Stability in U.S.-China relations isn’t optional; it’s a necessity.” Restrictions may score political points, but history judges nations by their bridges, not walls. GUEST EDITORIAL
