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HONG KONG – For 30 minutes on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping offered a litany of conciliatory promises to political leaders and business leaders from 172 countries meeting in Shanghai: he would turn his country from 1.3 billion into global consumers, welcome foreign investors in previously restricted sectors; and Chinese firms that abuse intellectual property rights.
Then, apparently, he turned to an audience of his correspondent – his counterpart in the Oval Office – and his tone hardened.
"High winds and storms can upset a pond, but not an ocean," said Xi, comparing China to a huge and irremovable sea. "After 5,000 years of trials and tribulations, China is still here. In the future, China will be here to stay. "
In one of Xi's most watched speeches since the beginning of a protracted trade dispute with the United States, the Chinese leader has appeared in turn soothing and uncompromising as he blatantly reprimanded the leadership style of Xi. President Trump and warned against the dangers of unilateralism.
"As globalization deepens, jungle law and winning draw practices are deadlocked," he said.
His remarks Monday kicked off the China International Import Expo, a week-long showcase aimed at making China a consumer power, at a time when its record trade surplus with the United States United is only one of the stumbling blocks for the Trump administration, which has asked Beijing to proceed with concrete revisions to resolve the tariff impasse.
Not to mention the United States once by name, Xi has widely promised to let global companies tap into the Chinese middle class and "share the benefits of globalization." China would cut tariffs and import $ 30 billion worth of goods and $ 15 billion worth of services in the coming months. 15 years old, he said.
"China is a big market of over 1.3 billion people and it is our sincere commitment to open the market," Xi said. "The increase in imports from China will not be a choice of political opportunity, but a step forward to embrace the world."
Yet in a 35-minute speech, closely watched by observers as perhaps the Chinese president's last major speech on the subject before he meets with Trump for crucial trade talks later this month In Argentina, a confident Xi gave little sign that he was wanting to make significant concessions.
Beyond the promises of imbalances in the Chinese trade balance, which have been a long-standing priority for Beijing's economic planners, Xi has not escaped the handling of the politically thorny complaints made by major trading partners.
[Trump and China’s Xi to meet in bid to end trade war tensions]
The United States, Europe and Japan, for example, and their business lobbies have particularly criticized some aspects of China's industrial policy that support its domestic industries while blocking foreign companies, such as as high-tech companies and Internet companies, in their attempt to self-reliance. And many said that they were frustrated by the alleged theft of trade secrets. The US Department of Justice announced last week that it would launch a new initiative aimed at suppressing Chinese espionage.
Although he acknowledged that China should strengthen the enforcement of intellectual property rights and increase penalties for violators, Xi immediately went on to criticize his critics.
Those who complain about Chinese business practices "should not just point fingers at others to get over their own problems," he said. "They should not hold a flashlight that exposes only others without doing anything themselves."
In the absence of the United States in particular, Xi has listed China's trade agreements with partners such as the European Union, South Korea, Japan and African countries. China, he added, is fully committed to multinational organizations such as the Group of 20 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Group.
Sometimes, Xi also seemed to address his national audience. As China approached this winter's 40th anniversary of the introduction of the "Reform and Open" movement launched by Deng Xiaoping, some intellectuals and political elites wondered whether his administration had canceled some of these role-oriented market reforms. more important in the private sector.
The path of reform and openness is precisely what drove China to success, Xi said, adding, "China has managed to turn a closed, semi-enclosed economy into a totally open economy."
According to the official Chinese press, more than 3,600 companies, including representatives of US giants such as General Electric and Ford, attended the conference.
Although Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Pakistan's new leader, Imran Khan, are present, the event has not attracted high-level delegates from many other developed countries.
The US government said it was not considering "high level participation" in the Shanghai exhibition.
"We encourage China to level the playing field for US goods and services," said the US Embassy in Beijing in a statement. "China must make the necessary reforms to end its unfair trade practices that are hurting the global economy."
Read more:
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