Foreign news

China’s solutions to pandemic-hit global economy – cooperation and opening-up

Published

4 years ago

November 4, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread at an alarming pace, infecting millions and bringing economic activity to a near-standstill, as countries impose tight restrictions on movement to contain the spread of the virus.

How can the global economy recover from this unprecedented blow?

In his keynote speech via video link at the opening ceremony of the third China International Import Expo (CIIE) on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping offered the answer from China: upholding the principles of mutually beneficial cooperation and mutual opening-up.

Mutually beneficial cooperation

COVID-19 is a stark reminder that all countries are bound together as a community with a shared future, Xi said, adding that no one can stay immune in a major crisis and countries must work together as partners, with each shouldering its due responsibility.

Solidarity and cooperation are the right choices to make in meeting challenges. “We must uphold the principle of mutually beneficial cooperation,” he said.

The CIIE is now an international public good for the world to share, acting as a major platform for international procurement, investment promotion, cultural exchange and cooperation, he stressed.

The first CIIE in 2018 saw deals for prospective one-year purchase of goods and services reach $57.83 billion, while deals from the Belt and Road countries reached $4.7 billion. At the second CIIE, the figure rose by 23 percent to $71.13 billion.

Flocking to this year’s CIIE are returnees from past expos as well as new faces, including nearly 50 Fortune-500 and industry-leading companies.

Undoubtedly, with the cooperation through this year’s CIIE, fresh impetus can be injected into the global economy.

Mutual opening-up featuring shared benefits, responsibilities and governance

Mutual opening-up is another keyword mentioned by the Chinese president at the CIIE.

Xi said that the hosting of the third CIIE demonstrates the country’s sincere desire to share its market opportunities with the world and contribute to global economic recovery.

Noting that the opening-up measures he announced at last year’s CIIE have been fully implemented, Xi pledged more open domestic and international circulations for not only China’s own development needs but also the greater benefit of people in all countries.

According to official data, China has made the swiftest recovery from the pandemic among major economies. In the first three quarters, its economy expanded by 0.7 percent from a year earlier, while the rest of the world is still largely mired in recession. The country’s total imports and exports also recorded positive year-on-year growth in the same period.

China, the world’s second-largest economy, has been promoting a “dual circulation” development pattern since May. The strategy indicates an economic development pattern that takes domestic development as the mainstay, with domestic and international development reinforcing each other.

Stepping up the building of the new development pattern of “dual circulation” in the next five years was also stressed at the fifth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, which closed on October 29.

The Chinese president also announced new measures for furthering opening-up in his keynote speech.

China will introduce a negative list for cross-border services trade and open still wider in areas like the digital economy and the internet, and China will pursue creative ways to grow foreign trade, Xi said.

China stands ready to sign high-standard free trade agreements with more countries in the world and China will work for the early signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and speed up negotiations on a China-EU investment treaty and a China-Japan-ROK free trade agreement, he added.

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Foreign news

French Envoy Seeks Collaboration With NAN To Boost Seamless Relationship

Published

1 month ago

February 5, 2025

The Gleamer

The new French envoy to Nigeria, Marc Fonbaustier, on Wednesday called for collaboration with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) toward strengthening the mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries.

Fonbaustier, who is the French ambassador to Nigeria and the ECOWAS, made the call when he paid a courtesy visit to Malam Ali Muhammad Ali, NAN’s Managing Director, in Abuja.
The ambassador said that his purpose of visiting was to pay tribute to the MD, and to seek collaboration in three areas with a view to promoting stronger, seamless and fruitful partnership between both countries.

He added that Nigeria and its people were hospitable, especially to the foreigners and ambassadors alike.

He added that Nigeria was a country with so much energy, strength, stamina and so many talents.

In Nigeria, with the population of this size, it is inevitable that the elites of the country are very outstanding, “and there may be a Franco/Nigeria moments now”, he jokes.

According to him, France and Nigeria can collaborate more and learn from each other.
“I could feel it particularly during the state visit of President Bola Tinubu which took place in November 2024.

“I was there and I could see the intensity, the strength and the scope of the partnership, and I am here to scale up that partnership in all sectors.

“I am coming here for three reasons, first, to pay a tribute to the NAN MD and his team for the quality of this agency. We can testify that the contents that you publish are very factual, and also very well set up and structured.

“You do fact checking and you really do try to provide the community with quality information. I think, as a French ambassador, I can recognise that as part of a living democracy,” he said.

The French ambassador said the second reason for the visit was to intimate the NAN MD of France’s eagerness to go on partnership with NAN saying he hoped for assurance of a seamless, fluid and easy relationship.

He said that his third reason stemmed from his observation that NAN recently signed some partnership framework agreements with Egypt and China, saying “it may be time to think of balancing this partnership with others”.

“Especially with French, and to talk with Agence France-Presse (AFP) to see if there’s ground for a closer relationship between NAN and AFP.

“Which is also a recognised agency like yours, and I bet you the sky will be the limit to the collaboration, ’’he said.

Responding, the NAN MD informed the envoy that the agency was African’s biggest news content provider on account of its size.

Ali gave the envoy a little details of the agency’s operation and its outreach, saying “as our continent’s biggest news content provider, we have offices nationwide and in selected African countries.

“We have offices in countries such as South Africa, Cote d’ivoire, Addis Ababa, and then we have offices also beyond the shores of Africa. We have in New York and we are the only resident wire service in the United Nations.

“At a time in the past, the agency had 11 foreign offices, including Moscow, and presently, we are trying to re-open some of our shut offices, especially in London.
“We value partnership and understanding that we have with similar news organisation such as Reuters and, incidentally, we have a long standing relationship with AFP which you just raised.
“I know for years we have exchange of news between NAN and AFP but it’s a cooperation that we will like to strengthen and with your greater involvement,’’ he said.

The MD commended the ambassador for reaching out and engaging with some Nigerians communities to douse the tension of the allegation made by the Nigeriens.

He also lauded the envoy’s leadership and visibility to Nigeria and the ECOWAS, “which has helped to douse the perception and misconceptions about France, especially in the Sahel”.
“I think you have helped to reverse some of this perceptions. I thank you for the kind words that you said about the agency and about our management.

“We also see partnership as an important tool in checking the spread of fake news.
“We’ve seen instances where fake news has done great deal of damage, and with the coming of social media it has done even greater damage.

“Our country is facing a lot of challenges, one of which is the increasing insecurity, and the social media has been used by those who do not want to see our country to prosper,” Ali said.
He further said that NAN was a credible news agency that always fact check to correct the wrong narratives by those who are in the business of causing troubles.

He also told the envoy that the agency has its content in the Nigerian indigenous languages, starting with Hausa and it would proceed to Yoruba and Igbo languages later, “then later in future to French.

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