By Zhong Sheng

As the year-end holiday season approached, U.S. media outlets recently advised consumers to plan when decorating their homes, warning of potential shortages in common holiday decorations such as artificial Christmas trees, string lights, and wreaths. Trade tensions and tariffs have tightened the supply of Christmas goods in the U.S. market and driven up prices, prompting many Americans to revise their holiday budgets.

In 2025, a wave of tariffs emanating from the eastern shores of the Pacific negatively impacted global well-being, including that of the American public. This once again underscores a fundamental reality in today’s interconnected world: zero-sum competition is counterproductive, while mutual benefit and win-win cooperation represent the right path forward.

Persistent zero-sum thinking within segments of the U.S. political establishment has been a major source of repeated disruptions in China-U.S. economic and trade relations. Actions such as disregarding international economic and trade rules, unilaterally imposing tariffs, provoking trade frictions, overstretching national security concerns, and enforcing stringent technology controls all reflect an outdated mindset rooted in the belief that one side’s gain must come at the other’s expense.

In an era defined by globalization, attempting to dim others’ prospects does not brighten one’s own, nor does impeding others’ progress lead to genuine advancement. Waging zero-sum games under the pretense of “reciprocity” and “fairness” ultimately harms others without benefiting oneself. The indiscriminate imposition of tariffs by the United States has not solved its merchandise trade deficit or bolstered its industrial competitiveness; instead, it has imposed high costs on U.S. businesses and consumers alike.

From logistics bottlenecks at U.S. ports caused by policy swings on tariffs to massive losses suffered by U.S. tech firms restricted from accessing the Chinese market, the consequences are visible. U.S. business communities on the front lines of trade have repeatedly called for the removal of additional tariffs and the stabilization of industrial and supply chains.

A telling example of the mutual benefit inherent in China-U.S. trade is a recent viral video by a U.S. TikTok content creator recommending a solar-powered fan hat from Yiwu, China, as a Father’s Day gift. With more than 9 million views and a surge in purchases, the case illustrates how trade enhances people’s well-being.

The essence of China-U.S. economic and trade relations is mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, not zero-sum competition. After over four decades of development, the two economies have become highly complementary, with deeply intertwined interests. Bilateral trade accounts for about one-fifth of global trade, with industrial and supply chains forming a highly interdependent pattern that ties the future of both sides together.

At the 8th China International Import Expo, U.S. companies secured the largest exhibition area for the seventh consecutive year, an expression of continued confidence by the U.S. business community in the Chinese market.

Artificially severing such mutually beneficial cooperation is neither feasible nor advisable; it would only lead to losses for both sides. The so-called Thucydides’s Trap is not a historical inevitability. One of the most pressing challenges of our time is for China and the United States to jointly forge a new model of major-country relations unprecedented in history.

The key to advancing China-U.S. relations lies in adopting sound strategic perceptions and discarding the outdated mindset of zero-sum competition. China neither challenges nor seeks to replace the United States and welcomes a prosperous and thriving America.

In fact, China’s development and progress present opportunities for the United States, and bilateral cooperation can support the U.S. in addressing its own challenges. Voices from various sectors, including among U.S. policymakers, acknowledge that trade with China helps alleviate inflationary pressures and enhances the well-being of the American people.

Over the past period, under the guidance of the consensus reached by the two heads of state, the economic and trade teams of both countries have conducted five rounds of negotiations, with clear pathways emerging to address mutual concerns. This demonstrates that, by moving beyond zero-sum thinking and adhering to principles of equal consultation, China and the United States can effectively manage differences and broaden areas of cooperation.

Winner-takes-all and zero-sum competition do not align with the trajectory of human progress. By shedding narrow perspectives, greater opportunities for cooperation become visible. China and the United States should firmly choose dialogue over confrontation, pursue mutually beneficial cooperation rather than zero-sum games, and ensure that China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation serves as a stabilizing “ballast stone,” not a stumbling block, for the bilateral relationship.

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)

Source: People’s Daily