China has always attached great importance to the trade consultations with the United States, hoping that by engaging in them with sincerity, a final agreement could be reached on the basis of reciprocal respect and equal treatment.

However, it is reasonable to question whether that is also true of the US after it chose to escalate the trade frictions rather than conclude a deal that was, by its own earlier admissions, gradually being hammered into shape after 10 previous rounds of talks.

Washington has tried to pin the blame on Beijing, of course, accusing it of this and that. But it is hard to escape the conclusion that by hiking the tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods and setting in motion the threat to begin imposing tariffs on all remaining imports from China, the US administration is not simply indulging its reluctance to be party to a deal in which it is not the clear-cut winner.

It is normal that the world's two biggest economies should bump up against each other on some issues. But over the past 40 years, since they formally established diplomatic relations, the vicissitudes in Sino-US relations have shown both countries benefit when their relations are friction-free.

By defaulting to its maximum pressure tactic, Washington is unnecessarily aggravating spark-creating frictions in what can only be viewed as a bid to hobble a rival.

And it is only going to be disappointed in that endeavor. Although the US actions have cast a shadow over bilateral trade ties, China's economy is durable and it will be able to withstand the pressure.

Beijing will not be cowed by Washington's bullying, although it has not announced the details yet, it has prepared for such an outcome. It has vowed to respond to Washington trying to turn the screws, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang saying China has "the ability" to protect its legitimate rights and interests.

Given how integrated the two economies are after 40 years of ever greater engagement and that, as President Xi Jinping has said, confrontation only hurts them both, cooperation would be the wiser course of action. Which is why China is keeping the door open for further negotiations.

But as it has made clear, they must be based on the premise that the US is also pursuing principled cooperation and not merely seeking one-way advantages.

The US should not fancy that it can force China to give in. Instead, Washington should seek to put in place the final pieces of the bridge that the negotiators have diligently assembled.

This may require a change of disposition on the part of the US administration, which up until now has chosen to try and coerce others to put the US first. But trying to be more accommodating to others would not go amiss and would actually serve the US better.

China does not want to be dragged into a trade war with the US, but it is not fearful and, if forced into one, it will safeguard its national interests.