China will open market further in push to bring down global trade barriers, Xi Jinping tells import expo

China’s president has urged global leaders to bring down trade barriers and resist protectionism in a speech at the China International Import Expo

Xi’s comments come a day after the closing of the Canton Export Fair, at which export orders fell for the third year in a row amid the US trade war

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Xi Jinping used his keynote address at the China International Import Expo to underline China’s commitment to opening up its economy. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:22pm, 5 Nov 2019Updated: 6:14pm, 5 Nov 2019

President Xi Jinping pledged on Tuesday that a more robust domestic market and a modern government would stimulate China’s opening up to the rest of the world, again portraying the nation as a leader in advancing globalisation and combating protectionism.

Xi emphasised that global economic integration was a long-term historical trend – comparing it to some of the world’s longest rivers – that could not be halted, adding no country alone could solve challenges this process posed for the world’s economic development.

“All countries should adhere to the concept of people first, and we should not put our own interests above human interests,” Xi said in his keynote address at the opening of the second annual China International Import Expo, an event intended to promote foreign companies to do business in China.

He called on global leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron who was at the event, to work together to expand the global market and reduce resistance to globalisation.

All countries should adhere to the concept of people first, and we should not put our own interests above human interests

Xi Jinping

The Import Expo in Shanghai opened a day after China’s largest export exhibition, the Canton Fair, closed its autumn session with disappointing results. The value of export deals and number of buyers fell for third session in a row, highlighting challenges facing China’s trade outlook amid the ongoing trade war between the United States.