At this years APEC meeting in Lima Xi Jinping made his stand clear - world needs more open trade not isolation (his speech was presented by commerce minister Wang Wentao)
Xiʼs message hit hard against trade barriers: “The world faces new turmoil‚ and splitting world economy goes against historys flow“. He pointed out how some countries make-up reasons to block trade cooperation‚ which dont help anyone
During the summit‚ talks focused on Donald Trumps planned return to power (he wants to put 60+ percent tax on Chinese goods). Beijing sees this as a chance to get closer to US partners in Europe and Asia who might not like these trade-limits
Xi showed-off Chinaʼs new business-friendly rules:
- More areas open for foreign money
- No-visa rules for many visitors
- Plans for new free-trade zones
- Extra steps to make China more open
But Ja Ian Chong from Singaporeʼs National University says Chinaʼs pitch as trade champion isnt as strong as it was about 8 years ago. He points out that Beijing helps its companies too much: “China keeps its markets closed just like US; its actually less open than before“