Envoy: China committed to opening up policy

PETALING JAYA: China will continue to embrace globalisation, says its Ambassador to Malaysia Bai Tian.

“No matter where the trade war goes, no matter how much uncertainties there are ahead of us, China will remain committed to opening up, and will never backpaddle.

“It is China’s answer to the challenges ahead,” he said at the International Forum on New Inclusive Asia 2018 under the theme “From Reform and Opening Up Policy to Belt and Road Initiative: China’s Rise and Its Global Impact- Reflections and Looking Forward”.

The forum was to commemorate the 40th anniversary of China’s Opening Up Policy and the fifth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Last week, China and the United States agreed to a “ceasefire” in their bitter trade war after highstakes talks in Argentina between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“This is good news but we still have to wait and see where the trade war will take us. The learned scholars and experts at this forum may also tell us the world is still undergoing reforms and reshaping processes.

“This means we will be facing a lot of uncertainties and unforeseen challenges ahead,” Bai said.

He said China’s Belt and Road initiatives were not done “solo, but a symphony of all participating members.”

“For the 140 countries that have joined the initiative, they will enjoy tangible benefits,” he said, announcing that China would host the second Belt and Road forum next April.

“Leaders will gather in Beijing to discuss the future progress of the initiative,” he added.

Bai said China’s openness and its hardworking people were among the reasons for its rapid economic rise.

“There have been thousands of young people like Alibaba founder Jack Ma. They worked 12 to 13 hours daily for a better living,” he said.

The envoy shared Ma’s story of volunteering himself as a free tour guide to foreign tourists in Hangzhou to practise his English when he was a teenager.