China is ready to make joint efforts with Tonga to strengthen co-operation and develop the Strategic Partnership of Mutual Respect and Common Development between the two countries.
In a statement released to Kaniva News, the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Tonga H.E. Huang Huaguang, said globalisation had unavoidably had a certain impact on Tonga’s economy, but also created more opportunities for Tonga to interact with the world.
He described Tonga as an important member of the Asia-Pacific family. In recent years, China has carried out friendly co-operation in various fields with Tonga and other countries in South Pacific, which has boosted the social and economic development of these countries.
The ambassador said the international political and economic situation was intricate and complicated.
“Global challenges like terrorism, refugee and climate change emerged one after another,” Ambassador Huang said.
“Britain has voted to leave the European Union. There have been voices questioning or even opposing economic globalisation in the developed economies in Europe and America.
“Isolationism and trade protectionism are obviously increasing all over the world. The trend of globalisation and mankind’s future have become the universal concern of the international community.”
He said it was against this background, the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2017 was held in Davos of Switzerland on January 17 under the theme of responsive and responsible leadership.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was invited to attend and made a keynote speech ‘Jointly shoulder responsibilities of our times, promote global Growth.’
This was the first time that China’s top leader had attended the annual meeting. President Xi also attended the high-level meeting of the theme of ‘Jointly building a community of shared future for mankind through Consultation’ in Geneva on January 18 and gave an important speech: ‘Work together to build a community of shared future for Mankind.’ In his speeches, the President expounded China’s vision and proposals on the economic globalisation, international governance and mankind’s future.
Ambassador Huang said that in his speeches President Xi had addressed five main questions:
How should we view economic globalisation?
President Xi pointed out that economic globalisation resulted from growing social productivity and was a natural outcome of scientific and technological progress. It has powered global growth and facilitated movement of goods and capital, advances in science, technology and civilisation, and interactions among peoples. Meanwhile, we should recognize that economic globalisation is a double-edged sword. While propelling global economic growth, it has also brought some negative outcomes and new challenges like poverty, unemployment. A widening income gap has strained relations between growth and distribution, between capital and labor, and between efficiency and equity. However, economic globalisation is the general trend of history and its general direction is right. It should be viewed comprehensively. We should pay attention to its deficiencies, but not give up eating for fear of choking or simply attribute problems like financial crisis and refugees to globalisation, let alone protectionism.
How to move forward economic globalisation?
In his speeches, President Xi presented China’s solution. He emphasised that in the face of opportunities and challenges brought by economic globalisation, the international community should enhance co-ordination and co-operation, improve governance to make economic globalisation open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all and ensure justice and equity. We should adapt to and guide economic globalisation, cushion its negative impact and deliver its benefits to all countries and nations. China maintains that we should act pro-actively and manage economic globalisation as appropriate to re-balance the process of economic globalisation; we should follow the general trend, proceed from our respective national conditions and embark on the right pathway of integrating into economic globalisation with the right pace; we should strike a balance between efficiency and equity to ensure that different countries, different social strata and different groups of people all share the benefits of economic globalisation.
How to view the relations between China and economic globalisation?
There was a time when China also had doubts about economic globalisation, but China finally made the right strategic decision to integrate into the global economy. Over nearly 40 years since reform and opening up, having seized the opportunities brought by economic globalisation, China has been actively co-operating with other countries and making great economic achievements. China has not only benefited from economic globalisation but also contributed to it. In the process of globalisation, the rapid growth of China’s economy has played an important role for global economic stability and expansion. Since reform and opening up, China has attracted more than $1.7 trillion of foreign investment and made over $1.2 trillion of direct outbound investment. In the years following the outbreak of the global financial crisis, China contributed more than 30 percent of global growth every year on average and is the main engine of global economic recovery.
How to open up a beautiful future for mankind?
At present, the trend toward multi-polarisation and economic globalisation is surging. Interconnection and interdependence between countries is crucial for human survival. No country can develop in isolation. In the face of major global challenges, all countries should follow the trend toward peace, development and co-operation, respect national sovereignty, and stay committed to dialogue and consultation, joint efforts, mutual learning and low-carbon development to build a world of lasting peace, common security and prosperity.
At present, the most pressing task for all the countries is to steer the global economy out of difficulty and solve three critical issues in the global economic sphere: lack of robust driving forces for global growth, inadequate global economic governance and uneven global development. We should develop a dynamic, innovation-driven growth model, an open and win-win co-operation model, a fair and equitable governance model and a balanced, equitable and inclusive development model. We should pursue new development philosophy, policy instruments and growth models. We must firmly oppose protectionism, develop global free trade and inter-connectivity, give emerging markets and developing countries greater representation and voice and promote social equity and justice.
What role will China play?
As the second largest economy in the world, guided by the vision of innovative, co-ordinated, green, open and shared development, China will adapt to and steer the current state of the economy, achieve medium-high rates of growth and vigorously create an enabling and orderly environment for investment and foster an external environment of opening-up for common development. In the coming five years, China is expected to import $8 trillion of goods, attract $600 billion of foreign investment and spend $750 billion in outbound investment. Chinese tourists will make 700 million overseas visits. All this will provide a bigger market, more capital, more products and more business opportunities for other countries. China welcomes people of other countries aboard the express train of China’s development. China will advance the building of the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific, support the successful operation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and other new multilateral financial institutions.
In May this year, China will host the ‘Belt and Road Forum for International Co-operation’ in Beijing to discuss ways to boost co-operation, build co-operation platforms and share co-operation outcomes.
China will resolutely uphold world peace, pursue common development, foster partnerships and support multi-lateralism. China stands ready to work with the international community in jointly pushing forward the great process of building a community of shared future for mankind.
Belt and Road
The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road, also known as The Belt and Road is a development strategy and framework that focuses on connectivity and co-operation among countries primarily between the People’s Republic of China and the rest of Eurasia. It has two main parts, the land-based ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’ and oceangoing Maritime Silk Road.’ For more information, see the links below- KN
The main points
- China is ready to make joint efforts with Tonga to strengthen co-operation and develop the Strategic Partnership of Mutual Respect and Common Development between the two countries.
- The Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Tonga, H.E. Huang Huaguang, said globalisation had affected Tonga’s economy, but also created more opportunities for Tonga to interact with the world.
- The ambassador said the international political and economic situation was intricate and complicated.
- The trend of globalisation and mankind’s future have become the universal concern of the international community.
For more information
Inside China’s Global Spending Spree
This Map Shows How China Is Building its Global Trade Empire
