China will safeguard multilateral trading system with greater resolve: premier

Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Monday that China is determined to safeguard the multilateral trading system with greater resolve, and stands ready to work with all other parties to uphold true multilateralism.

Li made the remarks in addressing the fifth Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Leaders' Meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Monday.

In his remarks, Li recalled that Chinese President Xi Jinping once said "only openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation is the right way forward for humanity."

Since the RCEP agreement came into effect more than three years ago, economic and trade cooperation among its members has continued to deepen against the backdrop of generally weak global economic momentum, and the regional economy has maintained relatively rapid growth, he said.

Throughout this process, he said, the agreement has played an irreplaceable and important role -- expanding the space for joint development among members, providing a mechanism for safeguarding economic security, and building a platform for advancing innovation cooperation.

Li pointed out that the current international economic and trade landscape is undergoing complex changes, with unilateralism and protectionism on the rise, posing significant risks to the region. He called on all parties to collaborate more closely to jointly address challenges and work collectively to advance development.

Li called for efforts to foster a more open regional market by strengthening market connectivity, promoting regional economic integration, accelerating the expansion process, and supporting applicants such as China's Hong Kong in joining the RCEP.

He called on all parties to take more proactive actions to promote improvement and upgrade of the agreement, saying that all parties should fully implement their commitments under the agreement with high quality, actively align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, and explore greater breakthroughs in cooperation in areas such as market access, government procurement, digital and green sectors, as well as industrial and supply chains.

Li stressed that China will continue to support ASEAN centrality and, together with all other parties, safeguard the stability of the regional multilateral trading system.

China is ready to pool wisdom and strength with all other sides to achieve more practical outcomes in RCEP cooperation and jointly create a bright future of shared prosperity, Li said.

Leaders attending the meeting called for efforts to strengthen mechanism building, actively promote expansion, continuously unleash potential, achieve more substantive results in trade, investment, innovation, the digital economy and other fields, and safeguard a free, fair and open multilateral trading system, so as to better benefit all countries' transformation and development and the region's forward-looking and inclusive growth.

The leaders issued a joint statement on RCEP at the meeting.

China will safeguard multilateral trading system with greater resolve: premier

China will safeguard multilateral trading system with greater resolve: premier

China will safeguard multilateral trading system with greater resolve: premier

China will safeguard multilateral trading system with greater resolve: premier

More than 1,000 demonstrators took to the street in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday to protest against the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minnesota earlier this week, as well as U.S. military intervention in Venezuela.

"And the brutality of ICE to shoot a woman in the head three times is appalling. And why we're allowing that, why is this happening in the United States? It's unbelievable. They're not taking just undocumented immigrants. They're taking everybody and they're asking questions later," said a protester who was only identified as Jonelle.

"[U.S. military striking on] Venezuela was completely wrong, completely wrong. Constitutionally, he had no right to do that. And the fact that the oil companies knew what he was going to do before even Congress or the military knew, just tells you everything you need to know," noted another protester, who was only named as Erin.

Analysts pointed out the protests reflect strong dissatisfaction among the U.S. public with the government's handling of both domestic affairs and foreign policy at present.

Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot dead on Wednesday by an agent of the ICE. The killing sparked outrage in the Democratic-led state and beyond, triggering protests and vigils aimed at ICE and federal immigration policy.

Protests erupt in Los Angeles against ICE, U.S. actions in Venezuela