No More Empty Promises: Why the United States Must Demand Years of Proof Before Trusting China Again

No More Empty Promises: Why the United States Must Demand Years of Proof Before Trusting China Again

By Bill Conley
America’s Favorite Life Coach and Political Commentator

Introduction

For decades, the United States has entered into negotiations with China in good faith, believing that words spoken across a polished conference table would translate into real action. Time and time again, that trust has been betrayed. The Chinese government says what the world wants to hear, collects the benefits of American concessions, and then quietly retreats into a familiar pattern of manipulation, half-truths, and broken promises.

Whether it’s buying American soybeans, cooperating on trade balance, or investing in American technology sectors, the story is the same: they say one thing, we act, and they fail to deliver. The pattern is predictable, and shamefully, we keep falling for it.

The Chinese government has mastered the art of negotiation by deception. They understand that American policymakers crave stability and headline victories. So they make announcements, sign memorandums, and shake hands for the cameras, and before the ink dries, they’re already backtracking. It’s a game they’ve perfected because we’ve allowed them to.

This article isn’t about hostility; it’s about reality. The United States must stop hoping that China will change and start requiring that China prove it has changed. We can no longer afford to take promises at face value or act first while they stall, stall, stall.

From now on, the rule must be simple and firm: no action from the United States until China proves, over time, that it has acted first and followed through.

If China claims it will buy soybeans, we wait until the soybeans are paid for, shipped, and received, not one step before. If they say they’ll invest in U.S. infrastructure or manufacturing, we wait until the factories are built, the jobs are created, and the results are visible. If they promise to stop manipulating currency, stealing technology, or undermining intellectual property laws, we will wait until we see years of consistent, verifiable compliance.

Until then, the United States should do nothing. No tariff relief. No trade rewards. No trust. Not one inch of compromise until China earns its way back to credibility, not for six months, not for a year, but for several years of demonstrated good behavior.

The time for polite diplomacy is over. The time for proof has begun.

Negotiating with China has long been a one-sided relationship. They make verbal commitments; we make tangible concessions. We reduce tariffs, open markets, or loosen export controls based on words, not results. And each time, we are left holding the short end of the deal.

China’s playbook is simple: promise big, deliver small, and delay everything. They use time as a weapon, betting that American administrations will change before the truth catches up. They count on our eagerness to declare victory rather than demand verification.

That must end.

Let’s look at the hard truth:

• China has not honored trade commitments. In 2020, under the so-called “Phase One” trade deal, China pledged to buy hundreds of billions in American goods, including agricultural products like soybeans and corn. They never met those commitments. Yet the United States followed through on its end. We always do.
• China has not respected intellectual property. For years, American companies have seen their technologies stolen or duplicated, only to find Chinese versions flooding the market. While China promised to crack down on such theft, it has continued, often through government-backed “partnerships.”
• China manipulates markets and currency. They promise economic fairness but play by their own rules. When pressure builds, they offer words of cooperation; when it fades, they return to old habits.
• China infiltrates American systems. Whether through cyberattacks, corporate espionage, or influence campaigns, the evidence of Chinese interference is undeniable. Yet, each time they are caught, they deny, deflect, and continue.

The pattern is clear: China uses negotiations as a delay tactic, not diplomatic progress.

Therefore, the new standard must be proven before the policy.

If China claims they will purchase $10 billion in soybeans, the United States should respond: “Fine. When the money clears and the cargo is unloaded, then we’ll talk about tariffs.”

If they say they will invest in American semiconductor plants or clean energy production, our response should be, “Show us the investment. Show us the jobs. Show us five years of consistent follow-through.”

The U.S. government should implement a tiered trust system, not based on words, but verified performance over time. Every promise should have a proof period of no less than three to five years before any reciprocation.

Here’s what that might look like:

1.     Verification Before Action. No policy adjustment, tariff relief, or market access until China fulfills its end completely, not partially, not in progress, but proven and verified.

2.     Independent Oversight. Create a bipartisan trade compliance board responsible for verifying Chinese actions with complete transparency.

3.     Zero Concessions in Advance. The United States will no longer negotiate under pressure or goodwill. Concessions will follow performance, not precede it.

4.     Immediate Consequences for Violations. Any breach, manipulation, or delay triggers automatic reinstatement of tariffs, trade penalties, and restrictions.

5.     Technology Protection. Under no circumstances should China gain access to American chip technology, AI research, defense components, or critical infrastructure partnerships. That door must remain firmly closed.

The Chinese government has operated for too long as a bad actor in good company, smiling in public and scheming in private. It’s not personal; it’s pattern recognition. They have not earned trust. They have earned suspicion.

If America truly wants to strengthen its position in global trade, it must stop rewarding dishonesty and start rewarding accountability. The only language China respects is leverage, and leverage means holding your ground until the other side proves their sincerity through years of demonstrated good faith.

In simple terms: no proof, no progress. No trust, no trade.

Conclusion

The United States must stop negotiating based on hope and start negotiating based on history. And history tells us one undeniable truth: China does not keep its promises.

We have been burned too many times by polite diplomacy and empty assurances. The solution is not anger; it’s accountability. Not aggression; it’s verification. The United States should not lift a single tariff, ease a single restriction, or sign a single deal until China proves, over multiple years, that it will act honorably, transparently, and consistently.

We cannot build trust on words. Trust is built on evidence. And evidence takes time.

The world has changed. America no longer needs to play the role of the naïve negotiator who bends over backward for the illusion of cooperation. We are strong, self-reliant, and capable of setting the rules for fair play. The message to China must be simple and unwavering:

“You act first. You prove it first. You deliver first. And only after years of proof do we respond.”

Anything less is weakness. Anything less is a repetition of failure.

We are not asking for perfection, only for proof. For years of honest behavior. For sustained cooperation without deception. For once, let China earn what it has been freely given for decades: the benefit of the doubt.

Until that happens, we do nothing.

No tariff removal. No technology sharing. No early concessions. Nothing.

For the good of America’s farmers, workers, and innovators, the principle must be clear: the era of trusting words is over; the era of demanding proof has begun.