This article, originally titled "Seeking a Path of Coexistence Through Correct Perception (Bell Tolls: Major Power Diplomacy · 2025 Retrospective) — Revelations from 2025 Sino-U.S. Economic and Trade Relations, Part 2," explores how China and the United States can jointly forge a new, unprecedented path for major power coexistence, one of the most significant challenges of our era. The key to unlocking this challenge lies in establishing a correct strategic perception and abandoning the outdated mindset of zero-sum game. A recent U.S. media report suggested that those wishing to decorate their homes for the upcoming holiday season might need to plan earlier this year due to trade wars and tariffs, which have led to tight inventories and rising prices for festive goods like artificial Christmas trees, lights, and wreaths, forcing many Americans to adjust their holiday budgets. In 2025, a tariff tsunami originating from the eastern shores of the Pacific inflicted severe damage on the well-being of people in various countries, including Americans. This serves as further proof that in today's world of deeply intertwined national interests, zero-sum games are untenable, and mutual benefit and win-win cooperation represent the only viable path forward. The obsession of some U.S. figures with a zero-sum game mentality is a major reason for the recurring turbulence in Sino-U.S. economic and trade relations. From disregarding international trade rules to impose tariffs unilaterally and provoke trade frictions, to broadly defining national security and implementing stringent control measures in the technology sector, these actions that disrupt normal economic and trade cooperation are all driven by the antiquated logic of "I-win-you-lose" and "your-rise-my-decline." In this era of a global village, blowing out another's lamp does not make one's own brighter; blocking another's path does not allow one to travel farther. Pursuing a zero-sum game under the banner of so-called "reciprocity" and "fairness" ultimately results in actions that harm others without benefiting oneself. The reckless imposition of tariffs by the U.S. side has failed to resolve its issues with trade deficits in goods and industrial competitiveness; instead, it has imposed heavy costs on both American businesses and consumers. From logistical congestion at U.S. ports due to volatile tariff policies to massive losses suffered by U.S. tech companies from losing access to the Chinese market, practical lessons abound. The U.S. business community, on the front lines of trade, has repeatedly called for the removal of additional tariffs to maintain the stability of industrial and supply chains. As Father's Day approached this year, a U.S. TikTok creator posted a video recommending solar-powered fan hats from Yiwu, China, as Father's Day gifts, garnering over 9 million views on the platform and sparking a buying frenzy. This small case highlights the significant role that Sino-U.S. trade cooperation plays in enhancing public welfare. The essence of Sino-U.S. economic and trade relations is mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, not a zero-sum game. After over 40 years of development, the two economies are highly complementary, with deeply integrated interests; bilateral trade accounts for approximately one-fifth of the world's total, and their industrial and supply chains have long formed a pattern of "you are in me, and I am in you." At the 8th China International Import Expo, the exhibition area for U.S. companies ranked first for the seventh consecutive year, demonstrating the U.S. business community's vote of confidence in the Chinese market through action. Severing this mutually beneficial cooperative relationship artificially is neither feasible nor advisable and would only lead to a lose-lose outcome. The "Thucydides's Trap" is not an inevitable fate of history. For China and the United States to jointly carve out a new, unprecedented path for major power coexistence stands as one of the most critical propositions of our time. The key to solving this puzzle is to establish a correct strategic perception and discard the old thinking of zero-sum game. China does not seek to challenge or replace the United States and welcomes America's prosperity and development. In fact, China's development and progress represent an opportunity for the United States, and Sino-U.S. cooperation benefits the U.S. in better addressing its own challenges. Figures from various sectors, including U.S. policymakers, acknowledge that trade with China helps the United States alleviate inflationary pressures and improves people's livelihoods. Over the past period, guided by the consensus of the two countries' leaders, their economic and trade teams have held five rounds of consultations, with the approach to resolving issues of mutual concern gradually becoming clearer. This fully demonstrates that by abandoning zero-sum thinking and adhering to equal consultation, China and the United States can absolutely find ways to properly manage differences and enhance cooperation. A winner-takes-all, zero-sum game is not the path for human development. Shedding a narrow perspective reveals vast space for cooperation. Both China and the United States should firmly choose dialogue over confrontation and pursue mutually beneficial cooperation over zero-sum games, allowing Sino-U.S. economic and trade cooperation to serve as a "ballast stone" for bilateral relations, not a "stumbling block."
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