US trade war has limited effect on Chinese economy: Analyst

The trade war by the United States only has limited impacts on China’s economy as it has already started to find alternative solutions to fulfill its needs, says an American academic.

Dennis Etler, a former professor of Anthropology at California’s Cabrillo College, made the remarks in reaction to US President Donald Trump’s against any partial deal in the ongoing talks with China to resolve trade differences.

Trump told reporters on Friday at the White House that he doesn’t want a “partial deal” with China and won’t accept one that only addresses some of the differences between the two nations.

“I’m not looking for a partial deal, I’m looking for a complete deal,” Trump said during a press conference with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

PressTV-Trump reiterates his tough approach against China

US President Donald Trump has reiterated his tough approach against China, saying only a complete deal with Beijing on trade will be acceptable.

Etler told Press TV on Sunday that it was impossible “to take anything that US President Trump says at face value.”

He was referring to Trump’s claims that American companies were raking in cash from the higher tariffs.

“His evaluation of the relative strengths of the Chinese and US economies flies in the face of reality,” Etler said of Trump.

“Tariffs are a tax on imports paid by US companies importing foreign goods, the cost of which is ultimately borne by US consumers. The ‘billions of dollars’ Trump speaks of are being taken out of the hide of US taxpayers, not Chinese bureaucrats,” the analyst continued.

He then explained why China was weathering the US pressure without much effort, unlike what Washington wanted people to believe.

“Without going into the details, there is plenty of evidence that the trade war is having a minimal effect on the Chinese economy which has responded by expanding its exports to other regions of the world and increasing its imports from other sources than the US, something that China should do no matter what,” Etler further explained.

“The trade war is also promoting and accelerating China's drive for self-reliant development of its technology sector based on in-house innovation rather than being dependent on fickle international markets,” he added.

He said Trump’s call for a “complete deal” with China is “simply rhetoric to position himself for the upcoming trade talks and assuage his base, and should not be taken seriously.”

“The US has shown itself to be an unreliable partner in both diplomatic and economic relations. This predates the Trump administration but has been exacerbated since his accession to power,” he said. “Besides that, Trump's propensity for exaggeration, hyperbole and outright falsehoods, aka lies, is legion. Nothing he says has much if any meaning.”

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