China Pledges Economic Opening and Balanced Trade

Chinese Premier Li Qiang pledged on Sunday to further open the country's economy and promote balanced trade with global partners, as Beijing seeks to address concerns over a surging trade surplus amid heightened international tensions. Speaking at the annual China Development Forum in Beijing, Li emphasized importing more high-quality foreign goods and providing national treatment to overseas enterprises, allowing them to operate on equal footing with domestic firms. The two-day event, which drew nearly 90 global executives including Apple CEO Tim Cook and Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume, serves as a platform for Chinese officials to outline economic priorities and investment opportunities.

The forum comes as China's exports rose 21.8 percent year-on-year in the first two months of 2026, generating a trade surplus of 213.6 billion U.S. dollars and intensifying scrutiny from trading partners. Official data shows the country achieved a record surplus of 1.2 trillion dollars in 2025, driven largely by high-tech sectors such as semiconductors, which jumped 72.6 percent, and automobiles, up 67.1 percent. While shipments to the United States fell 11 percent, trade with Africa increased...