Chinese premier stresses continued pursuit of high-quality development, expansion of high-standard opening-up

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Wednesday emphasized that China will continue to promote high-quality development, expand high-standard opening up, and take proactive and practical actions to add more impetus to the world economy.

Li delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 140th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province.

Noting this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Canton Fair, Li said Chinese President Xi Jinping specially sent a congratulatory letter, fully affirming the achievements made by the Canton Fair and reaffirming China's determination to expand high-standard opening-up.

Through the Canton Fair, the world has witnessed the tremendous vitality in China's economy and society, seen the magnificent journey of hundreds of millions of Chinese people striving forward all the way, and felt the increasingly deep connection between China and the world, Li said, adding that an increasingly open, continuously innovative and trustworthy China brings new opportunities, provides new impetus and injects certainty into the world.

Li pointed out that the Canton Fair has stood the test of shifting international circumstances and continuously renewed its vitality, embodying simple yet profound insights.

Li pledged that China will continue to pursue high-quality development and high-standard opening-up. By sharing more market opportunities and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation, China aims to firmly safeguard the international economic and trade order and inject greater momentum into the global economy.

Market connectivity is not a tool for playing games, but an effective means to generate incremental growth. China is committed to promoting continuous integration and common growth of domestic and international markets, and building an open world economy, the premier said.

Li said China is willing to import more high-quality products, especially high-value-added products. It is hoped that more countries will work with China in the same direction, lift restrictions and actively promote the optimized and balanced development of trade, he said.

As the largest developing country, China has always been committed to promoting common development, Li said, stressing that it will always be a trustworthy and reliable good friend of developing countries, and it stands ready to join hands with the vast number of developing countries on the journey to modernization.

He added China is willing to share more market opportunities, expand more mutually beneficial cooperation, and firmly safeguard the international economic and trade order with all parties.

WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala delivered a video address, noting that China has achieved remarkable development and provided rare opportunities for the world.

Noting that the Canton Fair is an important platform connecting China with the world, Okonjo-Iweala said that amid increasing global uncertainties, it is hoped that all parties will jointly advance WTO reform and build an open, rules-based global trading system.

Li toured the enterprise pavilion of the fair following the opening ceremony. 　　 More than 700 representatives from nearly 90 countries and regions attended the opening event.

This year's Canton Fair will draw more than 30,000 exhibiting companies and about 340,000 overseas buyers.

Chinese premier stresses continued pursuit of high-quality development, expansion of high-standard opening-up

China can play a key role in stabilizing global health governance, help developing countries build their capacity, and turn its innovations into a shared public good at a time when some countries are retreating from multilateralism, according to a Chinese expert.

At a meeting in Beijing on Monday and Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for greater efforts to develop the country's health programs and to secure decisive progress in the Healthy China Initiative in the years ahead.

Xu Jin, an assistant professor at the China Center for Health Development Studies at the prestigious Peking University, shared his views on the pressing issues facing the global health sector in an interview with the China Media Group (CMG) on Wednesday.

Despite the current challenges facing multilateralism and tightening healthcare budgets, Xu said international cooperation in health is simply not a choice, stressing that diseases do not carry passports, and health threats do not stop at borders. He said that when a pandemic strikes or the burden of communicable diseases rises, no country can address the issue on its own or protect its people alone.

Xu further noted that the issue of healthcare is one area where national security and global solidarity are fundamentally the same thing. In this environment, going it alone can make everyone less safe, making global health governance more crucial than ever, he said.

Xu outlined the key areas where he believes China make a real difference in advancing global health.

"First, China can be a stabilizer of global health governance at a time when some countries are retreating from multilateralism. China's consistent support for WHO and its participation in the pandemic agreement negotiations and its commitment to health aid show that a major power can still treat health as a global public good," he said.

"Second, China can bridge the capability gap for developing countries. China has shown that a large population can achieve universal health coverage through strong primary care, disease prevention, and cost-effective systems. The path is highly relevant for the Global South. Through Belt and Road cooperation, hospital partnerships, and other things, China can help countries build their own capacity, not just to rely and receive aid," said the expert.

"Third, China can turn its domestic innovation into shareable global public goods. So from malaria elimination methods to vaccine manufacturing and traditional medicine to digital health, China has practical, scalable, affordable solutions. So the key is to share them as public goods through technology transfer, joint research and open data sharing and other ways of joint capability construction," said Xu.

"In short, global health governance needs countries that lead by building, not by withdrawing. China's role is to make health corporation more practical, more equitable, and more [capable of] addressing local health needs," he added.

China can play key role in global health governance: expert