At the China Development Forum in Beijing on Sunday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang highlighted the growing global instability and uncertainty, urging nations to open their markets to address these challenges. His comments come as China prepares for potential additional tariffs from the United States.

“In today’s increasingly fragmented world with rising instability and uncertainty, it is more necessary for countries to open up their markets and enterprises… to resist risks and challenges,” Li stated. His remarks were directed to foreign business leaders and U.S. Republican Senator Steve Daines, who attended the forum. High-profile CEOs such as Tim Cook of Apple, Cristiano Amon of Qualcomm, Pascal Soriot of AstraZeneca, and Amin Nasser of Saudi Aramco were in attendance and are expected to meet President Xi Jinping later this week.

With geopolitical tensions escalating, China is eager to attract foreign investment to strengthen its economy. Li stressed the importance of policy measures that combine intensified efforts and market-driven growth. “We will implement more active and promising macroeconomic policies, further intensify counter-cyclical adjustments, and introduce new incremental policies when necessary.” he said.

Li also called on entrepreneurs to be strong advocates for globalization, opposing unilateralism and protectionism in favor of greater global cooperation. However, the number of American CEOs attending this year’s forum was lower than in previous years, a reflection of the ongoing geopolitical strains between China and the U.S.

The U.S. is set to impose a new round of “reciprocal” tariffs starting April 2, targeting countries with trade barriers on U.S. goods, including China. In response, China has already retaliated with additional tariffs on American agricultural products. These moves follow the Trump administration’s recent 20% tariffs on Chinese exports, further straining U.S.-China trade relations.

As part of efforts to boost foreign investment, China recently unveiled a new action plan aimed at easing cross-border data transfers and introducing other measures to make the country more attractive to global investors. However, analysts suggest that China will need to implement more significant stimulus measures to address the economic challenges posed by a prolonged trade war with the U.S. and the ongoing domestic property crisis.

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