Foreign experts laud China's strong economic start, boosting worldwide confidence

China's robust economic start, characterized by a 5.3 percent year-on-year GDP growth in the first quarter of 2024, has garnered praise from foreign experts, who laud its ability to bolster worldwide confidence and express high hopes for China's continued high-quality development.

The data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday shows that China's GDP during this period amounted to 29.63 trillion yuan (approximately 4.2 trillion U.S. dollars), with a quarterly increase of 1.6 percent, demonstrating a positive and progressive economic trend.

Felix Somerville-Scharf, a German auto industry consultant, highlights China's impressive economic progress and innovative energy, emphasizing the importance of ongoing collaboration between German and Chinese businesses to contribute to China's high-quality development, particularly in sustainable development and high-tech fields.

"The latest data reveals China's economy is demonstrating a positive trend of steady progress and advancement. The momentum for high-quality development is evident across various sectors. China's remarkable vitality for innovation consistently impresses me. This is precisely why German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited China and should do so regularly, ensuring that German and Chinese businesses collaborate to contribute to China's high-quality development, particularly through enhanced cooperation in areas like sustainable development and high-tech fields," said Felix Somerville-Scharf.

Chancellor Scholz paid an official visit to China from April 14 to 16. During his visit in Beijing, President Xi Jinping met with Scholz and Premier Li Qiang held talks with him. Leaders of the two countries had candid and in-depth exchanges on China-Germany relations and agreed to continue enhancing strategic communication, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation and advancing sound and steady growth of China-EU relations.

The two sides agreed that they oppose decoupling and severing of industrial and supply chains and will work together in response to global challenges and jointly inject greater stability and certainty into the world.

Kazakhstan economic expert Anuar Nurtazin emphasizes the significance of China's investment growth data, highlighting its role as the primary driver of economic growth and its optimistic outlook for the future.

"It is particularly worth mentioning the investment growth data. Investment is the primary driver of economic growth, and the investment growth figures in China for the first quarter are highly optimistic. These figures are sufficient to indicate a clear growth momentum and a promising outlook for the future," said Nurtazin.

Marcos Cordeiro Pires, professor of international political economy at Sao Paulo State University, praises China's enhanced production capabilities, improved product quality, and domestic market development as key factors in its robust economic growth.

"China has significantly enhanced its production capabilities, leading to improved product quality and the development of new brands. Even amidst a complex external environment, China has actively focused on developing its domestic market. This has been instrumental in supporting the country's robust economic growth," said the professor.

Guntram Kaiser, a German public relations and governmental relations specialist, commends China's strategic shift towards innovation and high-quality development, urging German companies to actively participate and benefit from this process.

"I believe that China's long-term plan to transition from a world factory to a hub for innovative technologies, new quality productive forces, and high-quality development is a wise strategy. German companies should actively participate in this process, contributing to and benefiting from it," said Kaiser.

Foreign experts laud China's strong economic start, boosting worldwide confidence

On his second official visit to China, Prime Minister of the Republic of Vanuatu Charlot Salwai expressed admiration for China's remarkable ability to balance preserving its cultural heritage with embracing innovative transformation.

Salwai paid an official visit to China from July 7 to 12. During his trip, he toured the southern province of Guangdong and explored the megacities of Beijing and Shanghai. His visit included tours of high-tech companies, a ride on a high-speed train, and a performance of traditional Cantonese opera.

In an interview with China Central Television Network (CCTV) aired on Friday, Salwai recounted his journey starting with a warm welcome that included enjoying Beijing Roast Duck, also known as Peking Duck -- a culinary delight introduced to him by the Chinese ambassador in Vanuatu.

"Many had to say. Peking Duck. Because we had it here on our arrival, so it was very tasty. And I understand that the Chinese ambassador in Vanuatu brought us to one of the traditional restaurants, small but beautiful," he said. The prime minister sees China's preservation of its culture as a vital lesson in understanding one's roots and the journey to the present day, acknowledging China's efforts to integrate cultural preservation with modernization.

"It's going to be my second official visit to China. I'm always impressed to see big changes and especially innovations made by China and especially the cities. Because a big impression is to see how China continues to maintain and keep its culture. Because I think it's the basis of everything -- to know where you come from and to understand where we are today. I feel that China is doing a lot to maintain its culture, but at the same time, doing, innovating to transform its culture,” Salwai said.

He also emphasized the importance of learning from China's sustainable development strategies.

"Today, it comes from a long way, some hardship, the government, and also the people of China. So, I'm impressed to see what is done, especially how China associates infrastructure development with nature. That's meant to keep, continue to keep the environment. It takes effort with the climate change by maintaining the ecosystem. I think it's something that, for a small country like Vanuatu, is important to learn. So, we are here. I'm here with my delegation to learn," Salwai said.

Vanuatu's PM commends China's cultural preservation, innovation amid fast growth