Two prominent Chinese economists have broken with Communist party orthodoxy, arguing that trade war with the US is the result of Beijing’s state-led development model rather than Donald Trump’s attempt to block China’s rise. 

The criticisms highlight the split between the reform and statist-minded camps among Chinese policy intellectuals and bureaucrats, and depict US tariffs as an understandable response to Chinese policies rather than an unprovoked attack on Beijing. 

Zhang Weiying, professor at Peking University’s National School of Development, argued in a recent speech that China’s economic ascendancies since 1978 is not the result of a distinctive “Chinese model” of development, adding that this incorrect interpretation has contributed to the current trade conflict by provoking alarm among western countries.