Chinese President Xi Jinping warns against international decoupling in Russia speech
- Xi address to the St Petersburg International Economic Forum also included warnings against decoupling and the use of sanctions
- The Chinese leader also sought to reassure the international community that the country remains confident about its economic prospects
Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned against international decoupling and criticised the imposition of sanctions in a speech to a Russian economic forum.
He also expressed “confidence” in the Chinese economy as international investors closely watch what measures it will take to recover from the impact of Covid-19.
Such issues have now become more urgent amid growing tensions with the West and the fall-out from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“It is necessary to strengthen the connection of development policies, international rules and standards, and abandon such actions as decoupling, supply suspension, unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure,” Xi said without naming specific countries.
“[We] need to remove trade barriers, maintain the stability of global industrial and supply chains, and work together to deal with the increasingly severe food and energy crises.”