China's development, opening up contribute to common development, safeguarding multilateralism: int'l figures

International figures have hailed China's high-quality development and high-level opening up, saying they have made significant contributions to promoting common development and safeguarding multilateralism in the world.

Against a backdrop of intertwined risks and challenges, the stable development of China's economy is of vital importance to the world, they said.

"So I am very impressed both by the economic results and, above all, by the forecasts, since you have adopted the next five-year plan. I was in China in November, and there is a real vision for sustainable development, meaning the integration of a pragmatic and real economy, while also taking into account resources and sustainable development. And so, this is precisely an issue on which France and Europe can work together with China," said David Ros, a French senator.

"I think China's economy performed exceptionally well in 2025 and achieved remarkable accomplishments. The Chinese economy has demonstrated remarkable resilience and successfully achieved the annual growth target of 5 percent," said Mohammed Hashad, head of Research and Development at Noor Capital UAE Investment.

International figures also said that they are full of expectations for China's future development and believe that China will continue to play the role of a stabilizer for the world economy and make more contributions to global development.

"One of the driving forces for economic development is the trade surplus. In this regard, China has achieved very remarkable results, with exports increasing by 6.1 percent, and the added value of the service industry rosing by 5.4 percent year on year. Under the current level of development, the service industry will, along with the industrial sector, become an important driving force for economic growth. Especially during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), the growth rate will far exceed that of the past," said Banhidi Ferenc, a Hungarian economist.

"It can be said that China, with its vigorous economic performance and the continuous advancement of opening up, has become an important 'antidote' to deal with the current protectionist trend in the world. The Chinese modernization model represents a new development path choice, which is based on planning and emphasizes the positive role of the state in guiding market forces. I believe that today's China has become the main engine of the world economy. It is also one of the countries that are currently the most resolute in defending the multilateralism system, playing an important role in upholding multilateralism on a global scale," said Luis Antonio Paulino, a professor of economics at Sao Paulo State University in Brazil.

"I would say this growth has not been probably quantitative. It significantly reflects improvement in quality, efficiency and stability, which is critical for long-term development. Going forward, I would say that China will implement more proactive and effective macroeconomic policies. China's development has generated positive spillover effects that go well beyond these borders. I think investment and initiative such as the Belt and Road Initiative has also provided development opportunities for many emerging and developing economies. I would say that China has been a stabilizer and an engine for global economic recovery," said Jean-Noel Beka Be Nguema, a scholar in Gabon.

China's development, opening up contribute to common development, safeguarding multilateralism: int'l figures

The U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) will diminish its global influence and leave it more vulnerable to pandemics, warned a U.S. expert on public health.

On his first day back in the White House on Jan. 20, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the country from the WHO. The United Nations received the formal notice two days later.

Under the organization's charter, the withdrawal takes effect one year after the notice is given, which means the US has, procedurally, officially withdrawn from the WHO on Thursday (January 22, 2026).

"I think that this weakens America's influence in global politics, global policy, and global health," said Omer Awan, a U.S. expert on public health.

Awan emphasized that as the world's leading authority on public health, the WHO plays a central coordinating role in global health governance, and its role should be strengthened, not undermined.

"Global health is national policy and national security. It's a national security issue because the World Health Organization is critical for disease surveillance. Things like updating vaccine standards, sharing data, and without that, the United States is vulnerable. We're vulnerable to pandemics, we're vulnerable to infectious diseases that can surge here in America. When we pull out, when the United States pulls out, we're less prepared, we're literally less prepared for a pandemic, we have less access to critical data that can inform our public health policy. For these reasons, this is why we become more vulnerable to the threats of a future pandemic," he said.

He further cautioned that the U.S. withdrawal would not halt the WHO's operations, but would significantly reduce American influence in global health affairs.

"We will lose our influence significantly and many other countries will not view us as a global health power. Global health policy doesn't stop when the United States removes itself from the World Health Organization. Our influence stops when we remove ourselves from the World Health Organization," he added.

Withdrawal from WHO undermines US global influence, heightens its pandemic vulnerability: expert