The world's second largest economy is seeking to position itself as a defender of the international trade system in response to a rising tide of protectionist sentiment personified by the billionaire politician. Trump has repeatedly argued that Washington is better off pursuing country by country agreements rather than working within a global regime. He added that maintaining and improving the “open and unbiased multilateral trade regime is conducive to improving world economic development”. As Trump has sought to distance the US from the international trade system, China has moved to shore it up, hoping to preserve institutions that have been critical to the success of their export-driven economy. “China will continue to contribute to multilateral trade systems and improvement of global governance,” said the spokesman, according to a transcript on the ministry's web site.

Source: Sunday Times March 02, 2017 14:15 UTC