中國在2018年美中貿易戰談判過程中態度變化之分析

Analysis of China’s Shifting Stance During the Process of the 2018 U.S.-China Trade War Negotiations

自2017年8月美國前總統川普依據《美國貿易法》301條款對中國是否侵犯美國智慧財產權展開調查，美中貿易衝突即不斷升溫。觀察中國官方發言可以發現，在美中貿易協商過程中，中國政府的談判立場並非一成不變，中方有時採取被動回應美方的態度，但也曾在雙方貿易休兵重啟談判時採取強硬立場。由於談判立場的改變將可能影響最終談判結果，因此，本文研究目的，即是要探討在美中貿易磋商過程中，影響中國政府談判立場變化的原因為何。本文透過分析2017年至2020年間中國國家領導人相關講話、貿易談判代表及商務部發言人談話、例行記者會內容、新聞稿等文本，找出中國政府在貿易談判過程的立場關鍵變化。研究發現，美中貿易戰不僅涉及兩國之間的經貿問題，更與美中兩大強國的國際地位競爭有關，當美中衝突涉及中國高科技及前瞻技術發展，對中國國家科技自主創新發展的能力產生威脅時，由於此將直接影響中國是否能維持其在國際上的領導地位，故此時中方的談判態度出現轉趨強硬的明顯變化。

Since August 2017, when former US President Donald Trump initiated an investigation under Section 301 of the US Trade Act into whether China infringed American intellectual property rights, Sino-US trade tensions have steadily escalated. By examining the official Chinese statements, it could be observed that the Chinese government’s negotiating stance has not been static throughout the Sino-US trade negotiations. At times, China has adopted a reactive approach to US demands, while on other occasions it has taken a firm position during trade truces and the resumption of talks. As shifts in negotiating positions may influence the final outcome, this study aims to examine the factors driving changes in the Chinese government’s stance during US-China trade consultations. This paper analyses official documents, including speeches by Chinese state leaders, statements by trade negotiators and Ministry of Commerce spokespersons, routine press conferences, and press releases from 2017 to 2020 to identify key shifts in the Chinese government’s stance during trade negotiations. This paper reveals that the US-China trade conflict extends beyond bilateral economic issues and is fundamentally tied to the international status competition between these two major powers. When the dispute involves China’s high-tech and cutting-edge technological development, posing a threat to its capacity for independent scientific and technological innovation, China’s negotiating stance demonstrably hardens. This occurs because such developments directly jeopardize China’s ability to maintain its international leadership position.