China’s Vice Premier Liu He on Tuesday said that the world needs to abandon its Cold War mentality and seek to strengthen international cooperation.
In a special address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Liu repeatedly called on countries to improve diplomatic ties, “to “firmly safeguard world peace.”
“We have to abandon the Cold War mentality, try to understand the essence of things from the perspective of material duality, endeavor to build a community with a shared future for mankind, and join hands to respond to global challenges,” Liu said, this is according to a translation. “We believe that an equitable international economic order must be preserved by all of us.”
Referencing the WEF “Cooperation in a Fragmented World” theme of this year, Liu said it was imperative for China to open up to the world. He added that Beijing opposed unilateralism and protectionism.
China, which has been sharply criticized for not condemning Russia’s nearly year-long war with Ukraine, recently pledged to uphold its “objective and clear stance” on the conflict.
In a separate remark Liu described China’s Covid situation as “steady.” Beijing abruptly ended most Covid controls in early December, leading to a surge in infections among the 1.4 billion population.
Late last year, U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping signaled a desire to improve bilateral ties.
The rapprochement between the world’s two largest economies comes despite simmering tensions over issues such as Taiwan, trade policy and human rights.
