China will offer over 120 free booths for the exhibitors from 37 least developed countries participating in this year's China International Import Expo (CIIE), said an official from the Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday.
Themed "New Era, Shared Future," the 7th CIIE will be held in Shanghai from Nov 5 to 10, the Ministry of Commerce announced at a press conference in Beijing.
Tang Wenhong, China's assistant minister of commerce, said that this year's CIIE will see participants from 152 countries, regions, and international organizations, including 37 least developed countries.
He reiterated China's commitment to expanding unilaterally opening up to the world's least developed nations.
"Starting from Dec 1, 2024, China will implement a zero-tariff policy on 100 percent of products originating from the least developed countries having diplomatic relations with China. The Ministry of Commerce will collaborate with relevant departments to support the least developed countries in making full use of this preferential treatment. We will provide skills training and support the development of cross-border e-commerce enterprises to cultivate new trade momentum. Through hosting events like the CIIE, we will build platforms and bridges for high-quality and unique products from the least developed countries to enter the Chinese market and the global market," Tang said.
"This year's CIIE will feature exhibitors from 37 least developed countries and we will provide over 120 free booths to support their participation. The exhibition area for African products at this year's CIIE will be further expanded, facilitating connections and negotiations between African exhibitors and Chinese buyers to help both parties reach more purchase agreements," said the assistant minister.
Over 120 free booths offered to exhibitors from 37 least developed countries at 7th CIIE
A survey released by CGTN to global netizens shows that respondents strongly condemn the U.S.'s unilateral bullying of other countries under the pretext of "reciprocal tariffs," saying that this move may trigger countermeasures from other countries and eventually evolve into a "tariff world war," seriously impacting the world economy.
The U.S. claims that it has suffered losses in international trade and is raising tariffs on all trading partners under the pretext of "reciprocity," aiming to reduce the trade deficit. However, 81.03 percent of global respondents do not agree with this, believing that such measures will not achieve the expected results. During his first term in office, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on major trading partners. According to statistics from the American Action Forum, a think tank, Trump's protectionist policies during the first term cost U.S. consumers about 57 billion U.S. dollars annually. According to the survey, 81.94 percent of respondents believe that "reciprocal tariffs" cannot solve U.S.'s own problems but will only harm the interests of U.S. consumers and drag down the U.S. economic growth.
The competitiveness of products from different countries varies. Each country can set appropriate tariffs based on its own products to achieve "mutual benefit" in the international market. The "tariff farce" of the U.S. side is a selective disregard for the balance of interests reached through multilateral trade negotiations. Some 82.8 percent of the respondents point out that in the context of unequal economic development and economic strength of different countries, the U.S. insistence on full and complete reciprocity in tariffs is extremely irrational.
The majority of the U.S. tariffs this time are targeted at developing countries. Regarding this, 82.96 percent of the respondents condemn the U.S. for conducting "indiscriminate attacks" on other countries on the issue of tariffs, believing that this is a deprivation of the development rights of other countries, especially developing countries. According to the survey, 84.43 percent of the respondents believe that the U.S.'s imposition of "reciprocal tariffs" will exacerbate the problem of trade unfairness with its trading partners and traditional allies, seriously damaging the country's credibility.
As a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the U.S. has unilaterally and subjectively introduced so-called "reciprocal tariffs" and insisted on implementing them. This is a typical act of unilateral bullying. In response, 79.47 percent of the respondents criticize the U.S. for seriously violating the rules of the WTO. In the survey, 79.58 percent of the respondents say that "reciprocal tariffs" have become a new tool for the U.S. to promote trade protectionism, which will further intensify international trade tensions and global economic fragmentation.
This survey was released on CGTN's English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian platforms. Within 24 hours, a total of 9,600 overseas netizens participated in the survey and expressed their views.
CGTN poll: US 'reciprocal tariffs' draw condemnation from world
