China to work with all countries to promote open world economy: foreign ministry

BEIJING -- China will work with all countries to promote an open world economy and reject all forms of protectionism, foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday.

Lin made the remarks at a regular press briefing when asked to comment on an article published in a recent issue of The Economist magazine, which says China's export kept surging this year and the country is trading with more diversified partners. The article notes China is cementing its role in supply chains and the world is snapping up more Chinese goods than ever before, adding that the trade war and tariff war posed little influence on China.

"Amid a complex and ever-changing external environment, China's foreign trade has maintained stable growth, with stronger resilience and greater vitality," Lin said, adding that in the first eight months of this year, the total value of China's goods trade increased 3.5 percent year-on-year.

He noted that ASEAN and the European Union have become China's top two trading partners, while China's total imports and exports with its Belt and Road cooperation partners grew by 5.4 percent during the period.

"Walls and barriers will ultimately only trap their builders, whereas opening doors and pathways can achieve mutual benefits and win-win outcomes," Lin noted.

The facts have proved that tariff wars and trade wars cannot shake the long-accumulated comparative advantages of China's manufacturing sector, cannot change the global reputation of China's high-quality products, nor can they reverse the global trend of countries supporting trade liberalization and facilitation, the spokesperson said.

"China will work hand in hand with all countries to pursue a path of open development, firmly promote an open world economy, resist all forms of protectionism, and share opportunities and pursue common development through high-level opening-up," Lin said.