The unilateralism acts taken by the United States, including the sweeping tariffs, will ultimately disrupt the world trade order, and undermine the interests of the United States itself as well, said representatives from German businesses.
Rainer Nitsche, former Magdeburg City Commissioner for Economy, Tourism and Regional Cooperation, said in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) that the U.S. tariff measures violate the basic principles of free market and negatively impact the global economy.
"Tariff measures are economic poison. They destroy the world order, destroy the global trading system, and violate all market economic principles, so they should be condemned. Global prosperity will suffer for this, and the loss of prosperity will be felt by the people of United States first," he said.
German entrepreneurs also called for more cooperation, as the U.S. policies led to major challenges for German companies at the administrative level, which made many German companies increasingly cautious in their export strategies to the United States.
"There is opportunity in every crisis. This means countries that have never worked together closely are coming together. I think this is a great opportunity for Germany and Europe. It's wonderful that China is also getting closer to us, which offers new possibilities for co-creation. Overall, we must realize the world is a whole system. We should strive to involve all countries and uphold the concept of 'together and not against each other; cooperation despite competition,'" said Angelika Pachl-Mix, a German entrepreneur.
US tariffs disrupt world trade order: German entrepreneurs
Zhou Hongyi, founder of Chinese cybersecurity giant Qihoo 360 and a member of China’s top political advisory body, has stressed the need to harness artificial intelligence (AI) to confront mounting security threats in a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN).
As a member to the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Zhou placed "AI plus” security at the core of his proposals to this year's "two sessions," which convene this week, framing it as China's frontline strategy for strengthening cybersecurity.
The "two sessions" are the yearly meetings of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the CPPCC, which serve five-year terms and convene each March. The fourth session of the 14th NPC and the fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC kicked off on Thursday and Wednesday, respectively.
Expanding on the "AI plus" security agenda, Zhou said it would enable China to simulate cyberattacks, uncover weaknesses, and deploy digital agents across industries, measures he sees as vital to safeguarding enterprises in the AI era.
"This year I would like to first focus on 'AI plus' security, which means we must use AI's abilities to solve traditional security issues. For example we can simulate an attack to an enterprise's network, identifying its vulnerabilities and then fix them. Secondly, I think AI agents would be a key factor for 'AI plus' to be truly implemented into various industries, because large models have their own limits. Only by transforming large models into AI agents, and into digital experts and digital interns, can it be integrated with the business of enterprises," Zhou said.
Turning to the humanoid robots showcased at this year's Spring Festival Gala, Zhou said their appearance highlighted China's rapid progress in robotics and signaled that the era of intelligent machines is approaching.
"I am not surprised. I feel quite lucky I didn't do boxing with those robots on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala, because I don't think I can hit them. I think China's robots manufacturing industry has seen huge progress over the past year. On the other hand, I think that show also reflects our country's industrial strategy, which is sending us a signal that an era of robots is coming. How shall we empower our enterprises through AI? That's a question our entrepreneurs and investors need to think about," he said.
As China embarks on its 15th Five-Year Plan in 2026, Zhou projects that the continued development of AI will drive substantial demand in key sectors, such as energy, raw materials, and chips.
"First I think energy, as well as some of the raw materials that can align with the development of computing power would see huge progress. The chips industry will also be developed. I think China needs more inference chips. And there would also be a huge demand for electricity," he said.
This year marks the start of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period, spanning from 2026 to 2030, a period widely seen as pivotal for the country's long-term development. The plan is expected to be formally endorsed by the NPC during the "two sessions" with more detailed targets released later.
CPPCC member calls for AI-driven defenses to safeguard enterprises amid rising cyber threats
