TWA ______ Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong interacts with Pakistani Media Question: On April 8th and 9th, the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Conference on work related to neighboring countries was held in Beijing. President Xi Jinping attended the conference and delivered an important speech, emphasizing the need to focus on building a community with a shared future in the neighborhood, which has sparked enthusiastic responses in Pakistan. Amid an increasingly complex international landscape, China remains rooted in and committed to contributing to its neighborhood, dedicating itself to promoting a community with a shared future and working hand in hand with neighboring countries to achieve common development. These efforts have injected positive energy into a world fraught with turbulence and uncertainty. Your Excellency Ambassador, what is the fundamental reason behind China’s continuous advancement in work related to neighboring countries? Answer: Last week, the Central Conference on Work Related to Neighboring Countries was successfully held in Beijing. I had the honor to attend the Conference and listen to President Xi Jinping’s important speech myself. In his important speech, President Xi Jinping systematically summarized the achievements and experience of China’s neighborhood work in the new era, scientifically analyzed the situation, clarified the goals, tasks, ideas and measures for neighborhood work in the coming period, and emphasized the need to focus on building a community with a shared future with neighboring countries, striving to break new ground in neighborhood work. President Xi Jinping has always attached great importance to neighborhood work. As early as 2013, President Xi Jinping proposed China’s fundamental policy toward neighboring countries, which is upholding the principles of building friendships and partnerships, fostering an amicable, secure and prosperous neighborhood, and featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness. Over the past decade, historic achievements and transformations have been made in China’s neighborhood work. A notable example is that China has reached consensus with 17 neighboring countries, including Pakistan, on building a community of shared future; signed the Belt and Road cooperation agreements with 25 neighboring nations; and become the largest trading partner for 18 regional countries. Moreover, two major clusters of the community of shared future have taken shape in the Indochina Peninsula and Central Asia. These accomplishments are fundamentally attributable to the strong leadership of President Xi Jinping and the scientific guidance of President Xi Jinping’s thoughts on diplomacy. Moving forward, we will proactively respond to the profound and complex evolution of the regional and international landscape, focus on building the community of shared future with neighboring countries, and leverage high-quality Belt and Road cooperation as a key platform. By following the guidance of head-of-state diplomacy, deepening converging interests, jointly safeguarding security and stability, and promoting people-to-people bonds, we will work hand in hand with neighboring countries to create a brighter future. Question: Pakistan is China’s all-weather strategic cooperative partner and ironclad friend, occupying a pivotal position in China’s neighborhood diplomacy. Your Excellency Ambassador, under the new circumstances, how will China implement President Xi Jinping’s important directives on work related to neighboring countries, and further advance the China-Pakistan community with a shared future in greater depth and substance? Answer: President Xi Jinping pointed out that China has always viewed China-Pakistan relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, consistently placing Pakistan as a priority in our neighborhood diplomacy. This year marks the 10th anniversary of President Xi Jinping’s historic visit to Pakistan, and next year, the two countries will celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, presenting a crucial juncture and opportunities for bilateral ties. We will thoroughly implement the guiding principles of President Xi Jinping’s important speech and the directives of the Conference, accelerate the building of an even closer China-Pakistan Community with a Shared Future in the new era, and continue to lead the way in fostering a community of shared future with neighboring countries. Firstly, we will enhance strategic mutual trust. China will, as always, support Pakistan in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions, and achieving stability and prosperity. Secondly, we will deepen development integration. We stand ready to synergize China’s eight major steps for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with Pakistan’s “5Es” development framework, jointly forging an upgraded version of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Thirdly, we will enhance security cooperation. China is willing to actively implement the Memorandum of Understanding on jointly promoting cooperation under the Global Security Initiative (GSI) with Pakistan, help Pakistan in strengthening its counterterrorism capacity-building, thereby safeguarding Pakistan’s strive for stable development and the promotion of practical cooperation between our two countries. Fourthly, we will strengthen people-to-people ties. We will work with Pakistan to organize more down-to-earth and beneficial activities, so that the China-Pakistan bond takes deeper root among our peoples, and the Chinese and Islamic civilizations can shine together in a shared brilliance. Question: The United States recently announced the imposition of additional tariffs on all its trading partners, covering over 180 countries and regions worldwide. This move has sparked widespread opposition domestically and internationally. Multiple U.S. small businesses have jointly filed lawsuits against the U.S. government over its abusive tariff measures, while European leaders have united in their criticism, warning that this will pose negative impacts on the global economy, including Europe. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala stated that the U.S. tariffs could lead to an approximately 1% contraction in global merchandise trade volume this year. Your Excellency Ambassador, what is China’s view on the so-called “reciprocal tariffs” from the U.S.? Answer: The U.S. has shocked the entire international community by indiscriminately slapping tariffs on all its trading partners, though given America’s long-standing track record of bullying and self-serving policies, few are genuinely surprised. As French commentators noted, tariff barriers are woven into the fabric of U.S. history, with protectionism running like a thread through its political evolution. In the not-so-long history of the United States, there were quite a few administrations that tried to revitalize its economy by using tariffs. Whether it’s during the William McKinley administration, the Herbert Hoover administration, the Richard Nixon administration or the George W. Bush administration, the U.S. had only ended up seeing its policies backfire: unemployment spikes, diplomatic fallout, and global economic turmoil. The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, enacted in 1930, imposed steep duties on more than 20,000 types of imported goods, plunged the U.S. deeper into the Great Depression and triggered a chain reaction across the capitalist world, with two thirds of the U.S.-Europe trade volume wiped out. Yet no one has surpassed the current U.S. administration when it comes to tariffs, they even claimed that “tariff is the most beautiful word in the dictionary.” But if the U.S. insists to go down the wrong way, they’re doomed to repeat the tragedies in history. U.S. economists now warn that this latest tariff spree could cost 2 million American jobs, drain $5,000 from every American household’s income, and push inflation up by 1.5 percentage points. Yesterday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell admitted that the U.S. tariff policy will lead to higher inflation and slower growth, a sentiment echoed by tumbling stock indices in the country, while Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan raised their prediction of the chances of U.S. recession to 45% and 60%, respectively. Question: Regarding the U.S. abuse of tariffs, we have noted that China promptly adopted countermeasures by releasing the Chinese Government’s Position on Opposing U.S. Abuse of Tariffs and the white paper China’s Position on Some Issues Concerning China-US Economic and Trade Relations. China has consistently demonstrated its commitment to economic globalization and its responsibility as a major country in upholding international economic and trade rules, standing in stark contrast to the U.S. acts of economic bullying. However, some foreign media have sensationalized claims that the U.S. imposition of high tariffs on China will severely impact China’s economic development. Your Excellency Ambassador, what is your perspective on this? Answer: The repeated imposition of abnormal level of tariffs on China has degenerated into a mere numbers game, fully exposing America’s attempt to politicize, instrumentalize, and weaponize tariffs in a bid to contain and suppress China. Yet one basic fact is that seven years after the U.S. unilaterally launched its trade war against China, China’s economy has not only withstood the pressure but entered a new phase of high-quality development through proactive adjustments. The ratio of China’s exports to the U.S. in China’s total exports dropped from 19.2% in 2018 to 14.7% in 2024, accounting for just around 2% of China’s GDP. Meanwhile, the U.S. trade deficit ballooned from $621 billion to $1.2 trillion. History has proven once again that China’s development is a result of self-reliance and hard work, not favors or pities from others, and that China does not flinch from any suppression. Facing the latest extreme pressure tactics from the U.S., China will, on the one hand, firmly counteract to defend our sovereignty, security, and development rights; and on the other hand, stay focused on managing our own affairs, to unleash the potential and dynamism of our superscale market. In the first quarter of 2025, China’s GDP and export grew by 5.4% and 6.9% year-on-year respectively, fully demonstrating the internal power and strong resilience of the Chinese economy. As President Xi Jinping stated, “China’s economy is a vast ocean, not a small pond.” This “ocean” can withstand storms and trade headwinds, and the world will ultimately witness China’s steadfastness and calmness, like the ocean gently embracing all the rivers. No matter how the international landscape will change, China, as the world’s second-largest economy and consumer market, will continue injecting more stability and positive energy into the global economy through high-quality development and high-standard opening-up. Question: Thank you, Your Excellency Ambassador, for sharing your insights, which have further clarified the hegemonic nature of the U.S.-instigated trade and tariff wars and strengthened our confidence in the bright prospects of China’s economy. We have also noted that President Trump recently announced a temporary suspension of imposing high “reciprocal tariffs” on certain trading partners. However, amid growing U.S. policy uncertainty, all sectors of Pakistani society remain deeply concerned. Your Excellency Ambassador, in the face of challenges posed by U.S. unilateralism and protectionism, how do you believe developing countries, including Pakistan and China, should react? Answer: The unilateral bullying practices of the United States severely violate the most fundamental and core rules of the World Trade Organization, including most-favored-nation treatment, non-discrimination, and bound tariffs, undermining the foundation of the multilateral trade system and inflicting immense harm on countries worldwide, particularly developing nations, even triggering humanitarian crises. Moreover, both international and American observers agree that U.S. tariff policies are an extremely dangerous political tool, and a symbol that it is embracing the logic of “might is right”, posing a threat to the entire world. As a major country that stands tall and a responsible member of the international community, China’s resolute and decisive countermeasures will not only defend our legitimate rights and interests but also protect the international fairness and justice. We hope and believe that the international community, the developing world in particular, will actively support China’s stance. Facts have proven and will continue to prove that “feeding the tiger with one’s own flesh” will only fuel greed and embolden bullies, while “huddling together for warmth” is the way to survive the cold winter and usher in a brighter future. As President Xi Jinping pointed out, “a single small boat may not survive a ferocious storm; only by working together can we sail steady and far.” As key members of the Global South and a staunch force for international fairness and justice, China and Pakistan must enhance coordination, follow the trend of peace and development, and resist the countercurrents of unilateralism. Together with the broader developing world, we will firmly uphold the WTO-centered multilateral trade system, counter “decoupling” and reckless tariff bullying with openness, inclusiveness, solidarity and cooperation, and jointly promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.