The term “knife to the neck” has historical and cultural meaning for a Chinese audience.
Seattle, WA – Many of us found it odd when a top Chinese official stated on September 25 that “The United States is ‘holding a knife to our neck’ to force trade concessions.” This statement by China’s Vice Minister of Commerce, Wang Shouwen, was made in the wake of the latest round of escalations in the trade dispute between China and the United States, in which the Trump administration has initiated tariffs on $200 billion dollars of imported goods from China. These punitive tariffs will start at 10%, and increase to 25% shortly after Christmas.
But what do the Chinese mean by “knife to the neck?” Why would they use such a dramatic phrase? Well, it turns out that there is a historical context for this one, which will help us understand exactly what the Chinese are trying to signal.
The first time I heard this phrase
I still remember the first time I heard the expression “knife to the neck” used in China. I was sitting in my International Relations class at Tsinghua University, listening to one of my classmates give a presentation. The young man who used this phrase was a doctoral candidate. He had glasses, a peach-fuzz mustache, and the energy and patriotism quite fitting for his chosen major of Political Science.
He was talking about China’s experiences in negotiating with the imperial western powers during the 19th century. “How were we to negotiate,” he asked us “with a knife is pressed against our neck?”
China’s century of unequal negotiation
China has a long history of “bargaining with a knife to the neck.” In the 1800’s, the country was forced to sign a number of unequal treaties following their humiliating military losses to England, France, Japan and Russia. China was forced to concede territory, pay indemnities, and open up its borders to traders and missionaries. As far as China was concerned, these treaties were not legitimate, because China had not been treated as a party of equal status during the discussions.
Of course, armistices and peace treaties are rarely “fair.” The weaker side usually enters into these agreements, because the only other option, to continue fighting, has become untenable. But even so, China experienced a century of being forced into peace negotiations on the terms of their opponents, and this humiliation is alive in their memories today.
The meaning of “knife to the neck” in the contemporary context
When the Chinese government used the term “holding a knife to our neck” this week, it told us a couple of things.
First, we can conclude that this statement is intended for a domestic, Chinese-speaking audience. If western observers were the intended audience, then certainly, the wording would have been re-examined to allow for a translation into a more common English phrase, which would allow for greater understanding abroad.
Second, the Chinese government is telling its people that America lacks a sincere interest in reaching a negotiated settlement. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is signaling to their domestic audience that any breakdown in the negotiations will be the fault of the Americans. After all, it is impossible to negotiate with “bandits” who have placed a knife to your neck.
What can we learn from all of this?
The Chinese government is using its interaction with U.S. negotiators to signal to their domestic audience that the breakdown in talks is the fault of the Americans. The Chinese official who made this statement is conjuring up nationalist sentiment about China being pushed around by the western powers, as they were in the 19th century. By placing the blame on the Americans, the Chinese Communist Party is hoping to deflect any frustration over the economic hardship that will be the result of these tariffs.
Analyst Bio
Frazier Lowell – WA State Certified Court Interpreter, Mandarin Chinese
Frazier Lowell is an independent analyst, who currently serves as a court interpreter for civil, criminal and immigration cases in Washington State. He is a graduate of Tsinghua University in Beijing, and has a Masters in International Relations, which he completed entirely in Mandarin. Frazier has spent 8 Years living in China, and continues to work closely with the Mandarin-speaking population in the Greater Seattle Area.
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