China鈥檚 President Xi Jinping (R) and French President Emmanuel Macron (L) taste wine as they visit France鈥檚 pavilion during the China International Import Expo in Shanghai on november 5, 2019. (Photo by ludovic MARIN / AFP)
SHANGHAI 鈥� President Xi Jinping on Tuesday pledged to further open China鈥檚 economy, declaring the world must 鈥渒nock down walls鈥� as he opened an annual trade fair in Shanghai.
Xi addressed an audience including French President Emmanuel Macron at the import exhibition, staged annually by China to show its willingness to free up its vast domestic markets in the face of criticism that they are too cosseted by Beijing.
The world community must 鈥渃ontinue to knock down walls instead of building walls, resolutely oppose protectionism and unilateralism, (and) continuously reduce trade barriers鈥�, Xi said.
The speech was light on specifics, however, and thus unlikely聽to mollify foreign critics who accuse China of a range of protectionist measures and failing to deliver on reform promises.
With China and the US working to lock in a partial trade deal announced last month, Xi steered clear of their tariff war in his remarks.
It was a stark contrast to his keynote last year at the height of the trade confrontation, when Xi took a swipe at the Trump administration, decrying 鈥減rotectionism鈥�, 鈥渋solationism鈥� and 鈥渢he law of the jungle鈥�, while not specifically naming the United States.
Speaking after Xi, Macron complained that the US-China trade war 鈥渙nly creates losers鈥� and was weighing on global growth.
He said he hoped the world鈥檚 two largest economies can reach an agreement that also will 鈥減reserve the interests鈥� of other trade partners, starting with the European Union.
Without directly naming US President Donald Trump, Macron decried 鈥渦nilateral action, the use of tariffs as a weapon, (and) survival of the fittest鈥�.
But the French leader also said China鈥檚 market-opening 鈥渕ust be speeded up and made more transparent鈥�.
Xi told delegates he hoped a China-backed proposed regional trade deal could be signed soon, a day after it was dealt a blow by India鈥檚 withdrawal.
At a summit in Bangkok, India expressed concerns that its economy would be flooded by cheap Chinese goods as a result of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
RCEP was meant to account for 30 percent of global gross domestic product and loop in half of the world鈥檚 people, but also notably excludes the United States.
鈥淚 hope the agreement will be signed and entered into force at an early date,鈥� Xi said in Shanghai.
He said China would be 鈥渉appy鈥� to reach free-trade agreements with other countries, adding that officials would speed up negotiations on an investment accord with the European Union as well as a pact with Japan and South Korea. /kga