Connecting the Dots: Upending Trade, Security and Europe

摘要

Neither the irony nor the intent of Chinese President Xi Jinping's hearty defense of globalization, free trade and the Paris climate agreement at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week were lost on many. As the US prepared to inaugurate a protectionist president who has called climate change a hoax, outgoing US Secretary of State John Kerry likened Xi's remarks to a speech President Barack Obama could have given (p1). Call it China's global leadership bid, even if many advised taking Xi's free-trade ideals with a grain of salt, and most companies surveyed by the American Chamber of Commerce said China was less welcoming to foreign business than in the past. "Pursuing protectionism is like locking oneself into a dark room," Xi said, warning that "No one will emerge as a winner in a trade war."