China calls for opposing unilateral tariffs, defending multilateral trading system

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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

GENEVA, July 24 (Xinhua) — China called for opposing unilateral tariff actions and protecting the multilateral trading system at a meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) General Council that concluded here on Wednesday.

In a statement presented at the meeting, the country's delegation noted that global trade turbulence is intensifying, uncertainty is growing and risks of fragmentation are increasing.

New unilateral tariffs have continued to emerge in recent months, and the volume of trade affected by restrictive measures has reached US$2.7 trillion, the highest level since records began in 2009, the delegation said. Against this backdrop, China called on WTO members to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and better support the multilateral trading system.

The delegation stressed that bilateral agreements or similar measures taken by individual members of the organization to ease trade tensions must be consistent with WTO rules.

The PRC representatives also proposed that the WTO Secretariat strengthen the monitoring and analysis of unilateral measures and bilateral agreements and promptly inform the organization's members of their impact, especially the potential negative spillover effects on third parties.

Brazil, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Venezuela and other WTO members said at the meeting that escalating trade turbulence is not in the common interest. Unilateral tariff measures undermine the foundation of multilateral rules, significantly increase costs for businesses and consumers, and severely impede economic growth and social development in vulnerable developing WTO members, they said.

Given the current circumstances, preserving the multilateral trading system has become more critical than ever, they stressed. –0–

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In China, 253 million people are covered by maternity insurance

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) — A total of 253 million Chinese are covered by the maternity insurance system as of June 2025, with the total expenditure of the insurance fund reaching 438.3 billion yuan (about 61.4 billion U.S. dollars), Zhang Ke, head of the National Medical Security Administration, said Thursday. -0-

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Xi Jinping: Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU 50 years ago, fruitful results have been achieved in cooperation and exchanges, benefiting the whole world

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

Xinhua | 24.07.2025

Keywords: China

Source: Xinhua

Xi Jinping: Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU 50 years ago, fruitful results have been achieved in cooperation and exchanges, benefiting the world Xi Jinping: Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU 50 years ago, fruitful results have been achieved in cooperation and exchanges, benefiting the world

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Fishing season begins at largest lake on China-Russia border

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) — Local fishermen went down to Lake Xingkai (Khanka) on Tuesday and cast their nets to haul in the first batch of fish, marking the end of the seasonal fishing ban on the largest lake on the China-Russia border, Zhongxinshe News Agency reported.

Lake Xingkai, located in the southeast of Heilongjiang Province /Northeast China/ and in the Primorsky Territory of the Russian Far East, is the largest border lake of the two countries. Its water surface area is 4,380 square kilometers.

Shinkai has rich fish resources. According to research, there are 65 species of fish in the lake. In order to ensure biodiversity and promote sustainable fisheries development, a seasonal fishing ban has been in place in this lake since 1952.

This year, a 40-day fishing ban on the lake began in early June.

According to a local border control official, patrols will be stepped up during the fishing season and measures will be taken to prevent and combat illegal fishing activities to ensure security and stability in the border areas. -0-

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Ukraine has returned more than a thousand servicemen from Russian captivity

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

KYIV, July 24 /Xinhua/ — Ukraine has secured the release of more than a thousand servicemen as part of the agreements reached at peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported on Telegram on Wednesday.

In total, Ukraine and Russia have conducted nine stages of prisoner exchanges under the Istanbul agreements. During the latest exchange, wounded and seriously ill servicemen were released.

Among those released are reportedly representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Border Service, the National Guard and the National Police. –0–

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Breaking: Thai, Cambodian soldiers exchange shots in disputed border area

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH, July 24 (Xinhua) — The Thai military said on Thursday that a clash broke out on the border with Cambodia after the Cambodian side opened fire.

In turn, a spokesman for the Cambodian Defense Ministry said that Cambodian soldiers clashed with Thai soldiers in a disputed border area on Thursday. –0–

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Analysis of China's Economic Growth Drivers for the First Half of the Year

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

On July 15, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of China released data showing that China's gross domestic product (GDP) for the first half of 2025 was 66.0536 trillion yuan. In terms of constant prices, the year-on-year growth reached 5.3%. NBS Deputy Director Sheng Laiyun noted that since the beginning of this year, the national economy has withstood the pressure and, despite the difficulties, continues to develop steadily, accumulating new driving forces for growth and improving the circulation of economic processes.

As the data show, in the first half of the year, the contribution of final consumption expenditure to economic growth was 52%, gross capital formation was 16.8%, and net exports of goods and services was 31.2%. Of these “three driving forces” of the economy, consumption remains the main factor in GDP growth.

According to Wang Xiaosong, professor at the Institute of Economics at Renmin University of China, the data for the first half of the year show that the Chinese economy is developing steadily while maintaining stability, demonstrating its high resilience and potential for future growth. This is mainly due to China's solid industrial base – both the manufacturing and service sectors have made significant progress in recent years. The indicators for the first half of the year show that added value and investment in machinery are growing rapidly, demonstrating the high resilience and potential for development of the Chinese economy. In addition, the government has taken a number of measures to stabilize growth. Both fiscal policy and targeted monetary policy have had a very positive effect.

In the first half of the year, the consumer market continued to gain momentum, and the potential of the super-large Chinese market was steadily unleashed, demonstrating the dynamism of the Chinese economy. In terms of market sales, the total retail sales volume of consumer goods in the first half of the year was 24.55 trillion yuan, up 5% year-on-year.

According to Qi Yunlan, deputy department director and research fellow at the Institute of Market Economy, Development Research Center of the State Council, this year, with the effective combination of policies to actively support consumption and the continued optimization of the consumption structure, the domestic consumer market has improved significantly. The trade-in program has been expanded and improved, which has stimulated the acceleration of growth in commodity consumption.

According to statistics, in the first half of this year, China's industrial production rapidly gained momentum, and the machinery and high-tech manufacturing industries showed good growth dynamics. The added value of machinery increased by 10.2% compared with the same period last year, and that of high-tech manufacturing by 9.5%. From January to May, the number of applications for valid invention patents in China approached 5 million, up 12.8% year-on-year.

According to Lian Ping, chairman of the China Forum of Chief Economists and director of the Guangkai Institute of Industrial Research, the economic performance in the first six months generally exceeded market expectations, with the main feature being the release of pent-up demand and the improvement of the economic structure. Consumption growth was higher than market expectations and significantly recovered from the previous year. In addition, production and investment in the manufacturing industry showed steady positive dynamics, especially in areas related to new-quality productive forces, where the growth rate exceeded the double-digit threshold.

In the first half of the year, the total volume of import and export trade was 21.7876 trillion yuan, up 2.9% year-on-year. Machinery exports grew by 9.5% to account for 60% of total exports.

Qin Tai, deputy director and chief macroeconomic analyst at Huafu Securities Research Institute, said that two key factors played a decisive role in the first half of the year. First, financial subsidies for durable goods provided a significant stimulus effect. Second, China's industrial chain, with its integrity, advanced technology and resilience, performed well.

Sheng Laiyun said that the economy as a whole performed steadily in the first half of the year, showing positive dynamics while maintaining stability, which is a very valuable achievement. Since the beginning of this year, China has been implementing more active and effective macroeconomic policies, which has played an important role in maintaining stability. According to the instructions of the central government, relevant departments will speed up the implementation of a set of measures for the second half of the year in the near future, and they will continue to play a key role in ensuring the stable functioning of the economy.

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Russia and Ukraine held the 3rd round of peace talks in Istanbul

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

ISTANBUL, July 23 (Xinhua) — Russian and Ukrainian delegations held the third round of peace talks at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul on Wednesday, which started at 20:30 local time (17:30 GMT) and lasted for almost an hour and a half.

The Russian and Ukrainian delegations were headed by Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov, respectively. The talks were chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization Ibrahim Kalin.

At the end of the negotiations, V. Medinsky told journalists that the Russian side proposed creating three Russian-Ukrainian working groups that would work online to resolve political, humanitarian and military issues.

He also noted that both sides agreed on another round of prisoner exchange.

Before the start of the negotiations, H. Fidan made an opening speech in which he called on the delegations of both countries to engage in productive negotiations aimed at achieving a truce and ultimately ending the war.

“Our goal is to put an end to this bloody war, which has cost too much, as soon as possible,” said H. Fidan.

Two previous rounds of talks in Istanbul, held on May 16 and June 2, resulted in the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the bodies of dead soldiers, but produced little progress on achieving a ceasefire. –0–

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China is ready to stand up for justice and bring positive, stabilizing and constructive forces to world affairs together with its BRICS partners – Chinese Ambassador to Russia

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Moscow, July 23 /Xinhua/ — China is ready to uphold justice and bring positive, stabilizing and constructive forces to world affairs together with its BRICS partners, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said in an article titled "Consolidation of Agreements, Joining Efforts, Big BRICS Promotes Transformation of Global Governance," published in the Russian newspaper Izvestia on Wednesday.

“The Chinese side is ready to work with its BRICS partners to uphold justice, bring positive, stabilizing and constructive forces to world affairs, promote peaceful settlement of disputes and develop strategic solutions to eliminate the root causes of problems while objectively assessing the circumstances,” the publication says.

As the Chinese diplomat noted, the 17th BRICS Leaders' Meeting, which recently concluded in Rio de Janeiro, fully demonstrated the responsibility and readiness of the BRICS countries to become the "vanguard" of the Global South, and also emphasized the role of the association in protecting peace and stability throughout the world, promoting global open development, and advancing exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

Zhang Hanhui stressed that the BRICS countries are the driving forces of economic growth. “In the context of the recession and trade disputes, we must focus on development,” he urged. According to the author of the publication, it is necessary to make efforts to build an open world economy, resolutely oppose unilateralism and protectionism, protect the fundamental principles of the World Trade Organization, promote the liberalization and simplification of trade and investment, and ensure the stability and smoothness of production and supply chains. The ambassador also reported that China has established the China Cooperation Center for the Development of Special Economic Zones in the BRICS Countries.

The Chinese diplomat believes it is necessary to raise the level of international financial cooperation and open up new promising areas of economic growth, expand cooperation in new areas such as digital technology and green development. “China, through the Global Development Initiative, will create the Digital South brand and conduct 200 training programs on the digital economy and artificial intelligence for the countries of the Global South over the next five years,” he said, adding that this year China will establish the China-BRICS Research Center for New Productive Forces and establish a scholarship for BRICS countries to promote the training of personnel in sectors such as industry and telecommunications.

Zhang Hanhui called the BRICS countries the initiators of inter-civilization dialogue and called for promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. He noted that China is ready to work with its BRICS partners to implement the Global Civilization Initiative in line with the civilizational concept of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness. The author of the article called for respecting the diversity of human civilizations, recognizing the right of peoples of different countries to seek ways to realize their values, rejecting any form of a “new Cold War” and ideological confrontation, continuously “enriching the palette” of human civilization, strengthening continuity, innovation and humanitarian exchanges in culture, actively promoting the protection of cultural heritage and the development of culture, and striving to create a harmonious atmosphere of mutual learning, exchanges and coexistence among various civilizations.

Zhang Hanhui also pointed out that against the backdrop of accelerated changes unseen in a century, the concept of global governance put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping is increasingly proving its modern value and practical significance. “In the face of growing conflicts and differences, it is necessary to intensify expanded consultations based on equality and mutual respect. Profound common interests require joint contributions based on solidarity,” the ambassador emphasized.

According to the Chinese diplomat, thanks to the joint efforts of China, Russia and other BRICS partners, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has been continuously developed and strengthened, its representation has expanded, and its international influence has steadily increased. “BRICS provides an important platform for countries in the Global South to assert their right to development, safeguard international justice, and participate in the reform of the global governance system,” he said, adding that China will continue to follow the “BRICS spirit” and work with Russia and other BRICS partners to develop common values and protect common interests, making new contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind. –0–

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Georgia Shows Economic Resilience Amid Global Uncertainty – IMF

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

TBILISI, July 23 (Xinhua) — Georgia continues to demonstrate high resilience amid heightened domestic and geopolitical uncertainty, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a statement on Wednesday following its annual consultations.

As noted in the statement, the Georgian economy maintains strong growth rates, inflation has stabilized near the target level, and public debt remains moderate. Such results were possible due to consistent macroeconomic policies, as well as stable domestic and external financial positions.

The IMF estimates that growth should slow to potential levels as domestic demand weakens, while inflation and public debt will remain stable if prudent monetary and fiscal policies continue.

Among the key challenges facing the Georgian economy, the IMF named high levels of structural unemployment, low productivity in agriculture, and a shortage of skilled labor. To overcome these difficulties, it recommended developing the vocational education system and increasing support for the agricultural sector. –0–

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