Countering Trump, Xi touts cooperation at Apec
DANANG: Asia-Pacific nations must “uphold multilateralism”, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday, countering US President Donald Trump’s message at a summit that the United States would stay out of trade deals that surrender its sovereignty.
Globalisation is an irreversible trend, but the world must work to make it more balanced and inclusive, Xi told leaders gathered in the Vietnamese resort city of Danang for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meeting.
His comments came moments after Trump told the same audience the United States would not tolerate chronic trade abuses from partners.
“Should we steer economic globalisation, or should we dither and stall in the face of challenge? Should we jointly advance regional cooperation or should we go our separate ways?” Xi asked.
“Openness self-seclusion said
During the past year, Xi has positioned China as a defender of globalisation in speeches around the world, contrasting himself with Trump, who has pursued his “America First” agenda, and pulled the United States out of the regional Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.
Trump’s predecessor saw the deal as a way for the United States, and not China, to write Asia’s trade rules.
Having just concluded a state visit to China, Trump said the United States was ready to make a bilateral deal with any country in the Indo-Pacific region, but only on the basis of “mutual respect and mutual benefit”.
He blasted the World Trade Organization and multilateral trade deals, and some analysts expect tougher action may be imminent from the White House to fight bilateral trade imbalanc- brings progress, while leaves one behind,” he es with China exacerbated by Beijing’s state-led economic model.
But Xi’s efforts to seize the mantle of free trade have rung hollow to critics of China, who argue it erects more market barriers to foreign companies, using state-driven industrial plans, than any major economy.
In Danang, Xi said China would “significantly ease market access” for foreign firms, and all businesses registered in China would be treated as equals.
Soon after Trump left Beijing, China said it would raise foreign ownership limits in financial firms, a move cautiously welcomed by business groups as an important step in opening up a tantalising multi-trillion-dollar financial services market. The 11 countries still party to the TPP have been looking for a way forward for the deal on the sidelines of the Apec meeting.
Japan had lobbied hard to proceed with the pact that could also help to contain China’s growing regional dominance, as it is not involved.
Xi has been selling an alternate vision for regional trade by promoting the Beijing-backed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which includes Australia, India and more than a dozen other countries, but not the United States.
The RCEP is seen as an alternate to the TPP for a path to the broader Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) that Apec aspires to. tion coming from our American colleagues,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters after Sanders’ comments.
“In any case, a meeting will take place on the sidelines,” he added.
Pressed later by Russian reporters on the issue, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov swatted away the question.
“Why are you asking me? We are saying that we have heard President Trump’s wish to meet President Putin, expressed by President Trump himself.”
“I do not know what the rest of his penpushers are saying, I cannot answer that.”
Trump’s relationship with Moscow has haunted the first year of his administration.
His former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and an associate are under house arrest on charges including conspiracy to launder money, linked to the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into allegations that the campaign colluded with Russia.
Russia has denied allegations of interfering in the US election last year that brought Trump to power.
Both Moscow and Trump had previously suggested that talks were likely to take place.
On Sunday, the US president said “it’s expected we’ll meet with Putin” to discuss North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
Four days later, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told Russian news agencies that the two would hold a meeting in Vietnam with the time and place still to be determined.
But hours later, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said no decision had been made on talks, which would be the first between the two men since they met at the G20 summit in Germany in July. — AFP