China, Britain agree to safeguard multilateralism and global order
Print Edition
AS permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, China and Britain should strongly uphold multilateralism, as well as the free trade regime and WTO rules, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said yesterday.
Wang made the remarks when co-chairing the 9th China-UK Strategic Dialogue with British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in Beijing.
Noting China-British relations have maintained steady growth momentum in recent years, Wang welcomed Britain to participate more ambitiously in international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, in areas such as nuclear power, finance and innovation, and in new industries, including artificial intelligence, green energy and the digital economy.
“China and Britain should treat each other’s development as an opportunity instead of a threat,” Wang said.
“Under the current situation, China and Britain, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, should uphold their responsibilities and obligations to firmly maintain multilateralism, the free trade regime and WTO rules, as well as opposing unilateralism and trade protectionism.”
The two sides should also seek political settlements for global and regional hotspot issues, cooperate to promote the common prosperity on the Eurasia continent, improve global governance system, and work for the building of a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for humanity.
Hunt said Britain appreciates China’s achievements in poverty reduction as well as economic and social rights.
Britain is willing to strengthen strategic dialogue and deepen exchanges and cooperation with China in various areas to boost the development of the “golden era” of bilateral relations, Hunt said, adding that his country stands ready to deepen communication with China to jointly address various challenges, and safeguard multilateralism and global order.
Hunt, appointed earlier this month, was on a trip that will also include stops in Paris and Vienna for talks with his European counterparts on Brexit.
Britain has pushed a strong message to Chinese companies that it is fully open for business as it prepares to leave the European Union next year, and China is one of the countries with which Britain would like to sign a post-Brexit free trade deal.
Britain is assessing its post-Brexit trade options. London is already moving ahead with plans to negotiate a free trade deal with the United States as soon as it leaves the EU, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said last week.
It was also revealed last week that Prime Minister Theresa May was sending ministers to the 27 other member states of the EU to try to broker backdoor agreements after Brussels’ chief negotiator Michel Barnier raised reservations about her Brexit plan.
An agreement in principle on Britain’s departure from the European trading bloc — set for March 29, 2019 — must be reached before a Europe summit in mid-October.
Hunt said at a joint press conference that he and Wang had “very constructive” talks in Beijing but neither gave any further details.
Wang again slammed Washington for intransigence and intentionally hyping up the idea that the US is the real victim in their trade dispute.
“The responsibility for the trade imbalance between China and the United States lies not with China,” Wang said, citing the global role of the US dollar, low US savings rates, huge levels of US consumption and US restrictions on high-tech exports as amongst the reasons.
The US has benefited a great deal from trade with China, getting lots of cheap goods, which is good for US consumers, and US companies benefit hugely in China too, he added.
Both China and the US had appeared to have avoided a full-scale trade war in May, with China agreeing to buy more US agriculture and energy products, but the deal collapsed and the two sides slapped import tariffs on their respective goods.
China says it is committed to resolving the dispute via talks. Wang said the current tensions were initiated by the US, and the two should resolve their issues under the World Trade Organization framework, rather than in accordance with US law.
“China does not want to fight a trade war, but in the face of this aggressive attitude from the United States and violation of rights, we cannot but and must take countermeasures,” he said.
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