China’s Trade Strategy Is Written in Jade Earrings

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- The Chinese have always lived by the saying “better broken jade than intact tile.” This explains why Chinese TV anchor Liu Xin picked out jade earrings and a jade pendant necklace to wear in her much-hyped debate this week on the U.S.-China trade war with Fox anchor Trish Regan.

The meaning of the jewelry, apparent to millions of Chinese who watched the face-off on social media, but hidden from the American audience: China would rather have no trade deal and uphold its dignity than be humiliated.

“I wanted to wear pearl earrings at first, but after second thoughts, I decided to wear jade,” Ms. Liu explained in an interview with the Chinese state broadcaster. “‘Better broken jade than intact tile,' is the spirit we need and want!”

As a debate, the Liu-Regan match-up fizzled. What was billed as a battle between two opinionated anchors ended up more as an interview, with Liu politely fielding questions from Regan. That was fine with Liu, who explained that had she come out swinging it would have been “completely counterproductive.” Her goal was to build understanding between U.S. and Chinese people rather than gain the upper hand.

In Ms. Liu's mind, the earrings were just the right size -- big enough to make her point but not so big and flashy they would have signaled bombast. They also expressed her own individuality: She was speaking for herself rather than her employer.

Although Liu recognized that most Americans would have missed the cultural signals, it was enough that she had come across as a human being, not in a “stereotypically robotic role reading from a script.”

“The smile on my face, the angle of the corners of my mouth, my eyes, my gestures -- my goal was to not make them feel uncomfortable,” she explained.

Most of all, she wanted to send a subtly defiant message: China would not negotiate by “kneeling on the ground,” she said.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mike Nizza at mnizza3@bloomberg.net

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Andrew Browne is the editorial director of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum. Prior to joining Bloomberg, he was China editor, senior correspondent and columnist for the Wall Street Journal.