Leaders vow to fight protectionism

BEIJING: Country leaders at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing will pledge to build an open economy and “oppose all forms of protectionism,” as well as fight climate change and promote social inclusion, according to a draft version of a document seen by dpa yesterday.

The document represents a “leaders’ statement” that will be signed by the 29 heads of state and government who are participating in a two-day summit to promote China’s initiative to build a trade and infrastructure network across Eurasia.

The leaders will pledge to “build (an) open economy,” “ensure free and inclusive trade,” and “oppose all forms of protectionism,” the document said.

It added that the leaders want to promote trade and investment based on a “level-playing field, on market rules and on universally recognised international norms”.

The “least developed countries” will get special attention in order to “remove bottlenecks of development,” the document said.

In the document, the leaders also promise to protect the environment and uphold the international Paris Agreement on climate change.

The documents also promote sustainable development and the protection of human rights, aiming for “a globalisation that is open, inclusive and beneficial to all”.

The leaders’ statement is one of two documents expected to be signed by forum participants.

The other document – focused on trade – has come under fire from European officials, who said Sunday that China refused to accommodate their requests related to free trade, environmental protection and working conditions.

“So far the demands of the EU countries in areas such as free trade, setting a level playing field and equal conditions have not been met,” said Brigitte Zypries, Germany’s economy minister.

“Therefore we say at the moment, if that does not happen, then we cannot sign.”

Most of the leaders’ statement’s signatories come from countries in Central and Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa, as these states have sent high-ranking officials to the forum. The signatories’ list includes Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Phillipines President Rodrigo Duterte and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Western European countries were, in general, represented by lower-ranking officials, who have been involved, however, in drafting the trade document.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday pledged more than US$100 billion (RM433 billion) in investment, financing and aid for Belt and Road projects.

During his speech at a convention centre near Beijing’s Olympic Park, Xi said the Belt and Road initiative is a winwin for all sides. The initiative is not “meant to reinvent the wheel,” Xi said, but aims instead to incorporate individual countries’ development plans. Putin also backed the initiative, calling it an opportunity to build “a single space of cooperation from the Atlantic to the Pacific for the first time in history”. – dpa