Trade and Opening: China opens doors wider to common prosperity

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02:13

Several sidebar forums made it a busy first day at the Import Expo. Domestic and overseas politicians, scholars, and business leaders shared their views on how economic globalization can be carried forward. CGTN's Cui Hui'ao reports.

Trade and Opening, one of three parallel sessions on the Import Expo's first day stirred up some lively discussions. Speakers shared their thoughts on how to promote economic globalization given many challenges arising from protectionism and nationalism.

MATS KARLSSON SWEDISH SENIOR RESEARCHER "Our job is to find the remedies that bring us together, at least to mitigate and to possibly solve the worst risks. To ensure the best prosperous or to only secure the liveable, we must consider the worst ones."

Political leaders and heads of international organizations remain confident in China's efforts to address these global challenges.

TONGA DIPLOMAT "We also strongly praise China's Belt and Road Initiative, through which we can seize untapped opportunities in trade and tourism."

Diplomats at the forum say China's continued opening up will facilitate and help strengthen their nations' economies, while yielding maximum benefits for their people.

EDWARD BOATENG, AMBASSADOR TO CHINA THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA "Our lead crop in Ghana has been coco, and our trade for the last years were just with European countries. China today provides us with an alternative market, that's why we are here."

AKBANA SHKURTA, DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMY REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA "Recently we've had a lot of trade exchanges with China, the openness of trade represents a lot of opportunities for Albania as well."

CUI HUI'AO NATIONAL EXHIBITION AND CONVENTION CENTER, SHANGHAI "Openness, innovation and investment. These are the words most frequently mentioned at the Hongqiao forum. The message is clear: at a time when the world economy is undergoing changes and uncertainties, we need more globalization and openness so that countries can benefit from each other. Cui Hui'ao, CGTN, Shanghai."