China’s Wang says China will not be blackmailed or yield to pressure over trade GSR — Days after U.S. President Donald Trump denounced globalism at the United Nations, China positioned itself Friday as a “champion of multilateralism” that is keeping international promises when Washington is backing away from them.
Although Foreign Minister Wang Yi denied his country was trying to eclipse the U.S. as a world leader, his speech at the U.N. General Assembly was a stark contrast to Trump’s “America First” message. It came amid rising tensions between the U.S. and China, which Trump accused this week of interfering in the upcoming U.S. midterm election. China denies the claim.
Russia, which is also batting back U.S. accusations of election meddling, was due to speak later Friday.
China often portrays itself as an advocate for “win-win” international cooperation, and Wang was hardly the only leader to defend the concept of multilateralism at this week’s U.N. gathering of presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and other leaders. But coming in the wake of Trump’s proclamation that Americans “reject the ideology of globalism,” Wang’s speech sounded a note of rebuttal from a competing power.
“Should we seek to uphold the architecture of the world order or allow it to be eroded upon and collapse?” Wang asked. “China’s answer is clear-cut. … China will keep to its commitment and remain a champion of multilateralism.”
In a week when Washington raised tariffs on Chinese products and Beijing responded in kind, Wang insisted that “China will not be blackmailed or yield to pressure” and warned that “protectionism will only hurt oneself, and unilateral moves will bring damage to all.”
“State-to-state relations must be based on credibility, not on willful revocation of commitments,” he said.
The Chinese government’s top diplomat Wang Yi said on Friday Beijing would not be “blackmailed or yield to pressure” over trade, and criticized unilateral moves by some states that China believes would bring harm to all.
Wang highlighted China’s massive economy as a major contributor to global growth. He described his country’s trade policies as defending not just its own interests but the system of global economic exchange. Most other nations challenge China’s assertions that it’s a defender of free trade.
And gesturing at China’s influence in one of the international community’s most pressing issues, he encouraged North Korea — which counts China as its traditional ally and main trading partner — to keep going in “the right direction toward denuclearization.”
“Protectionism will only hurt oneself, and unilateral moves will bring damage to all,” Wang said in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly. Regarding trade frictions, China stands for a proper settlement based on rules and consensus through dialogue and consultation on an equal footing. China will not be blackmailed or yield to pressure.”
