Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that in the face of global development difficulties, China is the main engine. With the slowdown of global economic growth, the rise of unilateralism and protectionism, and the severe shock to the international economic and trade order, all countries are facing major development challenges. China’s economy continues to forge ahead under pressure and is moving towards new and improved models. With strong resilience and abundant vitality, China provides support to the world and shares opportunities with the world through a higher level of opening-up, including unilateral opening. China’s contribution rate to world economic growth continues to remain at about 30%, higher than the total of the G7, making it the main driver for global development to climb out of difficulties.
At the 2025 Symposium on International Situation and China's Diplomacy, he pointed out that over the past year, China has vigorously advanced high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, signed new cooperation plans and action plans with multiple countries in South Asia, Latin America, and Central Asia, and China's non-financial direct investment in Belt and Road countries increased by more than 20% year-on-year. The activation of the TAZARA Railway rewrites a new chapter in China-Africa friendship, the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway fosters new prospects for regional connectivity, and the China-Europe Railway Express has operated 120,000 trains cumulatively, with one golden route after another rapidly extending and expanding in both directions.
He said that over the past year, China has shouldered the responsibility of promoting global development, continuously holding the CIIE, CIFIT, and CICPE, officially launching the whole-island customs closure of Hainan Free Trade Port, completing and signing the upgraded version 3.0 protocol of the free trade area with ASEAN, continuously implementing the “Ten Partnership Actions” with Africa, building the “Five Major Projects” with Latin American countries, constructing the “Five Major Cooperation Frameworks” with Arab countries, forming the “Seven Major Cooperation Platform Architecture” with Pacific island countries, and successfully holding the first ASEAN-China-GCC Summit, forging closer development partnerships with all parties.
Wang Yi pointed out that over the past year, China has overcome external disturbances and challenges, extended a helping hand to international partners in need of support and assistance, implemented “zero tariffs” for all least developed countries and African countries, and announced that while maintaining its status as a developing country, it will not seek new special and differential treatment in WTO negotiations, taking the initiative to make concessions to Global South countries and assume China’s international responsibilities.
He said, over the past year, China has welcomed friends from around the world, continuously expanded its circle of visa-free friends, with unilateral visa exemption granted to 48 countries and transit visa exemption to 55 countries. In the first three quarters of this year, over 20 million foreigners entered China visa-free, a year-on-year increase of more than 50%, opening a new chapter of people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and other countries. Exchanges and integration between China and the world continue to deepen, and the world’s gaze towards China has become more rational and friendly.