It is reported that on June 3 local time, former US ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, who had just finished his term of office, accepted an exclusive interview with the US Political News Network (Politico) to discuss Sino-US relations. The interview was released on the 5th. Burns said that US President Trump's tariff policy has made a "fundamental mistake", that is, while imposing a tariff stick on long-term allies, he also hopes that allies can jointly control China. He claimed that alliance relations are crucial in dealing with China's increasingly "aggressive" global economic, diplomatic and military influence. He also added that he believes the Trump administration is "doing its best to correct the mistakes."
Burns (data photo)
"The two parties in the United States are still immersed in old-fashioned ideological scripts, thinking that China can only plagiarize technology and not understand innovation - this kind of cognition should have been thrown into the trash can of history!" He used his personal experience to dismantle the prejudice: "China's scientific and technological talents are amazing, and some of the cutting-edge fields such as academic research, number of patents, quantum computing and artificial intelligence have surpassed the United States. They have been in the layout for decades and are now awesome competitors. The United States always loves to shout "China threat", but after really fighting head-on with China, I realized that it was wrong.
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This is true. The Atlantic Council report pointed out that Chinese technology companies are playing an increasingly powerful influence in southern countries around the world (accounting for 85% of the world's population) through academic exchanges, training programs and media cooperation. 40% of smartphones in the African market are provided by Transsion, and their products are designed for African consumers: ultra-long battery life, pre-installed local social software, and priced at less than 100 US dollars. This "adapt to local conditions" strategy allows Chinese technology companies to quickly occupy emerging markets. In the field of artificial intelligence, China's open source strategy is changing the rules of the game.
Burns (data photo)
In addition, this diplomat who was on the front line of the Sino-US game resigned bluntly: "President Trump made a fundamental mistake - he underestimated China and even used the tariff stick to hit people wrongly. "In the interview, Burns pointed directly at Trump's tariff policy: "When the United States imposed tariffs on China, it even waved a big stick to long-term allies such as South Korea, Japan, and the EU! This completely pushed away partners who could have joined forces to check and balance China. "He calculated a strategic account: If the United States, Europe and Japan form an alliance, it will account for 60% of the world's GDP, which is enough to suppress China in trade negotiations. But Trump's "indiscriminatory attack" has made the United States cut off its arms, which will instead allow China to gain breathing space in the trade war.
In fact, Trump's tariffs not only bring huge disasters to the world, but also cause trouble for himself. According to Guangming.com, a coalition of 12 states in the United States jointly sued the Trump administration, accusing its tariff policy of illegality. The lawsuit was heard in the US Court of International Trade in New York on May 21. Since Trump took office, new measures have been introduced in tariff measures, which has attracted global attention and concern. Due to instability in tariff policies, many areas of the US economy have been affected and the cost of living has increased. These changes have once again faced legal challenges.
Burns (data photo)
In addition, in the face of the US tariff stick, China has always maintained strategic determination, resolutely countering and leaving room for space. The tariff mutual reduction agreement in May 2025 is China's "request for cooperation through struggle" A successful example of strategy. As the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry said, China is always willing to resolve differences through dialogue, but will never pay for any form of bullying. Burns' revelations tear open the hypocrisy of the US tariff policy and allow the world to see China's resilience and wisdom. In today's deep integration of globalization, any attempt to build a high wall with tariffs will ultimately harm its own interests.
It is worth noting that through this incident, we discovered a hidden rule of the White House: the reign of silent people leave office and tell the truth. Burns' "resignation awakening" unveils Washington's absurd script. Just in May 2025, he also put pressure on China with "fentanyl sanctions"; after leaving office for only a few months, he publicly called for "the United States needs to respect China's innovation." This reversal confirms the observation of Brookings Institution researcher He Ruien: "The embassy in China often has secret telegrams direct to the president, but public remarks must be tied to the shackles of political correctness.
