Chinese state media has hit back at President Donald Trump's claim that his ever-expanding trade war with China is working, after economic data out of Beijing indicated a slowdown for the mammoth economy.
China's National Bureau of Statistics said this week that the Chinese economy grew 6.2 percent in the second quarter of 2019, slightly below the 6.4 percent growth of the first quarter of the year. This marked the slowest rate of economic growth since 1992, Reuters noted.
The president was quick to jump on the data, which made global headlines given the size and traditionally-strong growth rate of the Chinese economy.
Trump claimed the data was evidence that the new tariffs introduced as part of his trade war with Beijing "are having a major effect on companies wanting to leave China for non-tariffed countries." The U.S. has so far imposed tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods, with China reciprocating with import levies on $110 billion of U.S. goods.
"Thousands of companies are leaving," he added. "This is why China wants to make a deal with the U.S. and wishes it had not broken the original deal in the first place. In the meantime, we are receiving Billions of Dollars in Tariffs from China, with possibly much more to come."
China’s 2nd Quarter growth is the slowest it has been in more than 27 years. The United States Tariffs are having a major effect on companies wanting to leave China for non-tariffed countries. Thousands of companies are leaving. This is why China wants to make a deal....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 15, 2019
The president also falsely claimed that the tariffs are being paid for by China rather than by U.S. businesses and consumers in the form of higher prices on imported goods.
An editorial in the state-backed Global Times newspaper delivered a scathing assessment of Trump and his economic literacy. "Trump continued picking his one-string banjo and offered an arbitrary conclusion on how the tariffs have been paid for by China, not U.S. taxpayers," the article read.
"Trump cannot accept reality as his new-found theory has been refuted by U.S. and international research institutes," it continued. Rather, his enthusiasm towards the new data suggested the president is deeply anxious about his trade war as the 2020 election looms, Global Times said.
The article noted that China's economic growth remains around four times as fast as that of the U.S. at a figure "most major economies would crave." The Guardian noted that the GDP growth figure sits within the 6 to 6.5 percent growth rate target specified by the government.
Dismissing the downturn, Global Times suggested the "U.S. media laughs at China's economic growth while ignoring how their country's growth lags behind. Such delusional behavior inspired by blind over-confidence cannot be easy to handle daily."
Continuous and significant economic growth is a powerful weapon for China's ruling Communist Party, which regularly points to its economic record as proof that Western-style liberalism is not required to achieve prosperity. As such, China's rulers are highly sensitive to any hint of a slowdown or suggestion of economic mismanagement.
"China will continue to move forward in an orderly fashion," Global Times declared bullishly. "It would be best if Washington stopped using fuzzy math like 'thousands of companies' as a bluff," the article added, quoting Trump's gleeful tweet.
Nearby nations like Vietnam and India are certainly benefiting from companies relocating operations outside of China to avoid U.S. tariffs. Nonetheless, Global Times pointed to data showing continued strong foreign investment in China, topping $70.7 billion in the first half of this year.
Global Times is often used to disseminate Beijing's more hawkish sentiments, and the editorial ended on a characteristically withering note. "The U.S. has yet to experience anything positive from the trade war, and Washington's self-proclaimed early victory is an attempt at lying to oneself and a nation," the author wrote.
"The pack of lies generated by the U.S. is destined to be exposed. Truth and facts will continue to bother politicians in Washington more than anyone else."
