China’s Vice Premier Liu He said Tuesday that the world needs to abandon its Cold War mentality and seek to strengthen international cooperation.
In a special address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Liu repeatedly called on countries to improve diplomatic ties, “to “firmly safeguard world peace.”
“We have to abandon the Cold War mentality, try to understand the essence of things from the perspective of material duality, endeavor to build a community with a shared future for mankind, and join hands to respond to global challenges,” Liu said, according to a translation. “We believe that an equitable international economic order must be preserved by all of us.”
Referencing the WEF “Cooperation in a Fragmented World” theme of this year, Liu said it was imperative for China to open up to the world. He added that Beijing opposed unilateralism and protectionism.
China, which has been sharply criticized for not condemning Russia’s nearly year-long war with Ukraine, recently pledged to uphold its “objective and clear stance” on the conflict.
Liu pushed for a global response to the climate crisis and called for more attention on the potential spillover risks to emerging markets, as major central banks hike interest rates.
He separately described China’s Covid situation as “steady.” Beijing abruptly ended most Covid controls in early December, leading to a surge in infections among the 1.4 billion population.
China is taking steps toward outreach. Earlier on Tuesday, China’s commerce ministry said the country’s vice premier would soon meet U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in Switzerland. The sit-down, which is set to take place in Zurich on Wednesday, will mark the first face-to-face meeting between Liu and Yellen. The two will discuss how to “strengthen macroeconomic and financial policy coordination,” the ministry said.
Late last year, U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping signaled a desire to improve bilateral ties. The rapprochement between the world’s two largest economies comes despite simmering tensions over issues such as Taiwan, trade policy and human rights, CNBC reports.
