China's Premier decries 'tariff hikes' at UNGA, calls for global cooperation

New York [US], September 27 (ANI): China’s Premier of the State Council, Li Qiang, on Friday strongly criticised the rise of “protectionist” trade measures, warning that tariff hikes and other barriers are adversely affecting the global economy.

Speaking on behalf of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Li highlighted the need for international cooperation to maintain economic stability.

“A major cause of the current global economic doldrums is the rise in unilateral and protectionist measures such as tariff hikes and the erection of walls and barriers,” the Chinese premier said.

He urged countries to work together, stating, “We should collaborate more closely to identify and expand convergence of interests, promote universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation, and help each other succeed by moving forward in the same direction.”

Although Li has not mentioned Trump by name, the US president’s trade policies have loomed large, Al Jazeera reported.

Trump pursued an aggressive tariff policy, as he has described it, in an effort to hard reset the US domestic industry. That has included escalating a trade war with China, over which both sides remain in talks.

Li also highlighted the need to “work together” for peace and shared security.

“First, amid the volatility and turbulence in the world, we must work together for peace and shared security. All countries belong to the same global village and rely on each other for security. We should uphold the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and respect the legitimate security concerns of all countries,” he said.

“We should work in solidarity to address complex and serious security challenges, and settle differences and disputes peacefully through dialogue and consultation. Persisting in camp-based confrontation or willful resort to force only drives peace further away,” he added.

Highlighting China’s role in maintaining global peace, Li added, “China has all along acted as a staunch defender of world peace and security. China is the second largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget and the largest provider of peacekeepers among the permanent members of the Security Council. China has been working actively to promote peace talks on hotspot issues such as the Ukraine crisis and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.” (ANI)

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