China Calls for Joint Action at Various Online Forums

In a period of only a few days, President Xi Jinping gave speeches at four international forums, the 15th Group of 20 (G20) Leaders’ Summit, the 27th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting, the 12th BRICS Summit and the 20th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The key message Xi conveyed was the same: the need for international cooperation. As long as the fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, better coordination of actions will accelerate the joint response that people around the world are desperately expecting.

China has resumed its economic growth by prioritizing health. This has been the remedy for relaunching its national economy. It is aware, however, that recovery will be a long process that requires careful policy implementation at the world stage. That is why Xi proposed the creation of a “global firewall” against COVID-19 in his G20 address. As growth and prosperity need to be shared, developing countries, for example in Africa, are in need of special assistance. China takes part in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative and has put off debt repayment totaling over $1.3 billion, advocating for the extension of the mechanism.

Additionally, China which has to feed a population of 1.4 billion people in difficult times, understands challenges and supports the UN in holding the Food Systems Summit in 2021. Food loss is a critical issue that needs to be multilaterally addressed. China’s experience in alleviating poverty outlines the special sensitivity of the country in sharing its experience with the world. The success of the titanic work in eradicating absolute poverty does not signal complacency but motivates the Chinese leadership to improve the living conditions of poor citizens.

The pre-COVID-19 normalcy will hardly be achieved without synergies. These synergies need to be of practical nature. In his SCO address, Xi proposed to facilitate the reopening of economic activities through the “fast track” that steps up mobility of people and the “green lane” that quickens the flow of goods. And in his G20 talk he shared the idea of a global mechanism on the mutual recognition of health certificates. This will be based on nucleic acid test results in the form of internationally accepted QR codes.

Additionally, Xi announced a BRICS partnership for the establishment of an innovation center to advance cooperation on policy coordination, personnel training and project development in Fujian Province, southeast China. This is in the interest of BRICS countries to flesh out the new industrial revolution at a faster pace and build a digital economy roadmap.

There are, of course, two main presuppositions for the efforts to yield better results. The first is the preservation of peace and multilateralism. And the second is finding a balance to keep globalization alive, even if a more nuanced approach has been forged since the outbreak of the pandemic. In his APEC talk, Xi likened the world economy to the Pacific Ocean that “admits water from various rivers, and connects different parts of the world.” China’s emphasis on international cooperation was recently sealed with the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Xi went even further and said at the APEC virtual meeting that China would favorably consider joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Collaboration is always possible when there is a common will.

The author is director of the EU-China Program at the Centre International de Formation Européenne.