Xi’s speech on multilateralism lauded overseas
Emphasis on commitment to support joint response to global challenges earns praise
President Xi Jinping’s speech at the World Economic Forum Virtual Event of the Davos Agenda on Jan 25 made clear China’s commitment to multilateralism and injected impetus into the world’s joint response to challenges, global experts said.
In his special address, Xi said the problems facing the world are intricate and complex and that the way out is “through upholding multilateralism and building a community with a shared future for mankind”.
He also expressed opposition to the building of “small circles” and starting a new Cold War, because these acts, as well as efforts to “reject, threaten or intimidate others, to willfully impose decoupling, supply disruption or sanctions, and to create isolation or estrangement will only push the world into division and even confrontation”.
History and reality have made it clear that the misguided approach of antagonism and confrontation, be it in the form of a cold, hot, trade or tech war, would eventually hurt all countries’ interests and undermine everyone’s well-being, Xi said.
The speech was Xi’s second appearance at a Davos event as Chinese president. His first was in January 2017, when he reaffirmed China’s pledges on supporting economic globalization and building an open world economy.
“We cannot tackle common challenges in a divided world, and confrontation will lead us to a dead end,” Xi said.
In the tone-setting speech, Xi proposed four “do’s and don’ts” in elaborating on what kind of multilateralism should be upheld and what should be discarded by the world.
First, we should stay committed to openness and inclusiveness instead of closeness and exclusion.
Multilateralism is about having international affairs addressed through consultation and the world’s future decided by everyone working together, Xi said.
He called for more efforts to build an open world economy, uphold the multilateral trading regime, discard discriminatory and exclusionary standards, rules and systems, and remove barriers to trade, investment and technological exchanges.
Second, we should stay committed to international law and international rules instead of seeking one’s own supremacy.
Multilateralism should not be used as a pretext for acts of unilateralism, and “selective multilateralism” should not be an option, he said.
Third, we should stay committed to consultation and cooperation instead of conflict and confrontation.
Xi stressed the importance of sticking to the concept of cooperation based on mutual benefit and guaranteeing all countries’ equal rights to development.
“We should advocate fair competition, like competing with each other for excellence in a racing field, not beating each other on a wrestling arena,” he said.
Fourth, we should stay committed to keeping up with the times instead of rejecting change.
He urged nations to follow a people-centered and fact-based policy orientation in exploring and formulating rules on global digital governance.
In his speech, Xi listed four major tasks that should be addressed at the current time, namely stepping up macroeconomic policy coordination, abandoning ideological prejudice, bridging the gap between developed and developing nations, and uniting against global challenges.
Xi also reaffirmed China’s commitment to a number of issues including further boosting opening-up, promoting sustainable development, advancing innovation and promoting a new type of international relations.
Noting that the world has achieved initial progress in fighting COVID-19, Xi expressed confidence in the global fight against the disease despite its recent resurgence.
“There is no doubt that humanity will prevail over the virus and emerge even stronger from this disaster,” he said.
Xi pledged that China will continue to take an active role in international cooperation on COVID-19.
China will continue to share its experience with other countries, do its best to assist countries and regions that are less prepared for the pandemic, and work for the greater accessibility and affordability of COVID-19 vaccines in developing countries, he said.
China has so far provided assistance to more than 150 countries and 13 international organizations, sent 36 medical expert teams to countries in need, and remained strongly supportive and actively engaged in international cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines, according to Xi.
President Xi’s new Davos speech is pivotal to boosting multilateral cooperation, leaders of research centers and business associations and economists said, stressing China’s role as a growth engine in supporting the global economic recovery.
There have been more voices in the US academic community calling for an end to the attempt to decouple the two countries, either in trade or technology, experts said.
David Dollar and Ryan Hass, senior fellows at the John L. Thornton China Center of the Brookings Institution, said in a Jan 25 article that while it will be “tempting” to decouple from China, “decoupling is a losing strategy down the road since America’s partners would not follow suit, and the US would end up isolated”.
Bernard Dewit, chairman of the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, said that Xi’s speech “clearly and rightly describes the major tasks the world is facing with the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences”.
Evgeny Zagrebnov, a Russian expert on Sino-Russian relations, said Xi’s speech showed China’s commitment to free trade and investment.
The reform of global economic structures allows China and other developing countries to play a more balanced role on the world stage. It also makes the global economy stronger, more regulated and more resilient, which fits the concept of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, Zagrebnov said.
Yuzo Tanaka, a professor of economics at Ryukoku University in Kyoto, said that China’s contribution to the world economy is the “light shining out of the darkness” after a crippling pandemic plunged major world economies into recession, and Xi’s stand on inclusive growth, green development, global governance and consensus-building fit the goal of this year’s Davos, which is “a historic opportunity for collaboration”.
Nawazish Mirza, an associate professor of finance at Excelia Business School in France, said that Xi’s speech was “a reiteration of China’s commitment to cooperation, development and collective growth”.
Mirza said: “Xi also pointed out the importance of closing the divide between developed and developing countries aligned with the Chinese view of shared prosperity.”
Dennis Munene, executive director of the China-Africa Center at the Africa Policy Institute, said that Xi’s speech comes at a time when the global community is looking for sustainable economic policies to revive its struggling economy.
Munene said he appreciates that Xi advocates the strengthening of equal opportunities, equal rights and equal rules so that all countries will benefit from the fruits of development.
Prime Sarmiento in Hong Kong, Liu Yinmeng in Los Angeles, Wang Xu in Tokyo, Ren Qi in Moscow and Zhang Yunbi in Beijing contributed to this story.