Mankind’s common responsibility to protect world heritage sites: Chinese spokesman

World heritage sites are mankind's common wealth making it mankind's shared responsibility to protect and preserve them, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian said on Monday.

At the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, the Beijing Central Axis, the Badain Jaran Desert’s Towers of Sand and Lakes, and the migratory bird sanctuaries along the coast of the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Gulf of China (Phase II) all passed the review process to be included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Lin extended the ministry’s congratulations to the successful applications for world heritage status for these three sites.

"We would like to extend our warmest congratulations on the successful application for World Heritage to 'Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital', 'Badain Jaran Desert - Towers of Sand and Lakes', and 'Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase II)'. The total number of World Heritage sites in China has risen to 59, ranking second in the world. Among those, there are 15 World Natural Heritages and four World Cultural and Natural Heritages, with the number of World Natural Heritage being the highest worldwide," said Lin.

He underlined the efforts that China has put in to protecting and preserving cultural and natural heritage for future generations.

"The successful application for World Heritage is attributed to the unremitting efforts of the Chinese government and people in protecting and preserving cultural heritages, preserving ecological environments, and building a beautiful China. The Chinese government has carried out more than 100 cultural relic protection projects to revitalize the Beijing Central Axis, the longest urban axis in the world, and to integrate the hustle and bustle of the old city with a modern lifestyle. Adhering to the principle that 'lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets', we have stepped up efforts to protect ecological diversity and improve environmental governance, so that the geological and geomorphologic features of the Badain Jaran Desert - Towers of Sand and Lakes have been conserved, and the habitats of migratory birds along the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf can provide indispensable breeding, resting and wintering grounds for tens of millions of migrating water birds," Lin noted.

He emphasized that protecting and preserving world heritages is a responsibility shared by all.

"World Heritage is a common wealth of mankind, and protecting and passing on world heritage is a shared responsibility of mankind. China will continue to uphold the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, work with the international community to actively implement the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, share China's successful experience, strengthen cooperation on World Heritage protection, and continue to contribute Chinese wisdom and strength in global ecological conservation, as well as exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations," Lin said.

Mankind’s common responsibility to protect world heritage sites: Chinese spokesman

Reciprocal tariffs imposed by the United States violate World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and undermine both the country's domestic economy and the global economy at large, said Philippe Monnier, former executive director of the Greater Geneva Berne Area Economic Development Agency, during an interview Friday.

Amid widespread opposition, U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order on so-called reciprocal tariffs, imposing a 10-percent minimum baseline tariff and higher rates on certain trading partners.

Highlighting the principles of the WTO, Monnier emphasized the importance of adhering to established mechanisms for resolving trade disputes instead of resorting to unilateral actions.

"Based on the WTO rules, you have to follow the most-favored-nation principle and it is not the same as reciprocal tariffs. The other thing is that if you have some disagreement, you should not take some unilateral decision. There are some specific dispute mechanisms, and you have to use those mechanisms if you disagree," he said.

The economist warned of the far-reaching negative consequences of imposing high tariffs, citing historical examples and the potential disruptions to global trade and economic growth.

"You will find a lot of negative consequences. First, you will see there will be higher prices. Of course, there will be retaliation from most countries, and it will be the start of a trade war. And then the global chain will be disrupted. It will be very complicated to buy components including, for instance, components from Germany that you import to manufacture American cars. Eventually you we will have a very bad allocation of assets. In history, there are a lot of examples of countries which tried to protect themselves with very high tariffs. But eventually those countries had a very negative economic growth. And I think that this will not only impact the USA, it will impact every country. But probably even more the USA than other countries because they will have less competition and they will start to make things that other countries can do better than themselves, including of course China," he said.

Monnier stressed the potential global trade shifts that could arise from U.S. isolationism, predicting closer economic cooperation between Europe and China as countries seek alternative partnerships.

"If the USA starts to be more and more isolated, naturally, the trading partners will start to find new trading partners. And China and Europe will have an incentive to cooperate more. Maybe there will be a sort of free trade agreement between China and the European Union. We already have one between Switzerland and China, but it could be expanded to the European Union. So yes, definitely it will encourage new trading routes. Certainly, Europe cannot export as much as before to the USA. They will try to find other solutions and definitely China is one of them," he said.

US reciprocal tariffs risk WTO rule violation, global economic fallout: expert