BEIJING – The so-called "reciprocal tariffs" imposed by the United States severely undermine the international economic and trade order and have a significant negative impact on the global economy, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Friday.
He made the statement during talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in the Chinese capital, Beijing.
Li stressed that China's macroeconomic policies this year have taken into account various uncertainties, and the country has sufficient policy tools and has the confidence and capability to maintain sustained and healthy economic development.
Noting that in recent years, cooperation between China and Spain has progressed steadily across various fields, providing strong support for the robust economic growth of both countries, he said this underscores that mutual respect, open collaboration and mutual benefit are the correct approaches to international relations.
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China is willing to work with Spain to uphold an open and pragmatic approach amid the complex international situation, and promote comprehensive cooperation between the two countries to new heights, he added.
China is willing to further strengthen the synergy of development strategies with Spain, fully leverage the complementary advantages of industries, continuously tap into the potential of trade and investment cooperation, and achieve a higher level of win-win results, said the premier.
China is open to importing more products from Spain and is committed to supporting deeper cooperation between enterprises in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, the digital economy and new energy, he said.
China aims to expand the space for green development collaboration, Li said, adding that both sides should comprehensively enhance cooperation in fields such as culture, education, youth, science and technology, and tourism, thereby solidifying the foundation of public support for friendly bilateral relations.
China is willing to enhance communication and coordination with Spain and the European Union, jointly promote open cooperation, oppose unilateralism and protectionism, safeguard the multilateral trading system centered on the World Trade Organization, ensure the stability and smooth operation of global industrial and supply chains, and uphold international fairness and justice as well as the common interests of all parties, he said.
China hopes that Spain will play a positive role in promoting China-Europe cooperation, he added.
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Noting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-Spain comprehensive strategic partnership, Sanchez said that Spain is willing to take this opportunity to further strengthen cooperation with China.
The Spanish government abides by the one-China principle and is willing to strengthen high-level exchanges with China, consolidate political mutual trust, expand mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, agriculture and green economy, and strengthen mutual learning in the fields of culture, education, science and technology, he said.
Spain welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest and operate in Spain and supports the resolution of differences between Europe and China through dialogue and negotiation to further develop Europe-China relations, the Spanish PM.
The US additional tariffs are neither fair nor just, causing harm to the EU's economy, he said, adding that the EU will strengthen solidarity and cooperation to safeguard its own interests.
