Reference News Network reported on May 18 that according to a report by EFE on May 16, Ruth Maria de la Mora, Director of the Trade and Development Branch of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, said on May 16 that the willingness of the United States and China to negotiate a settlement of trade disputes indicates that both countries hope to restore "order and confidence," and also shows that both sides understand that they are "mutually dependent."

De la Mora said, "We see serious disruptions in supply chains, which is because rules are not being followed, highlighting the importance of rules even more. From my observation, both sides recognize the need to reach an agreement."

She stated that the only rule currently used to regulate trade between the two major powers was negotiated at the World Trade Organization.

De la Mora told members of the Association of Journalists in Geneva, "It has a very large market, and all countries want access to this market. The U.S. government's proposal to grant access through bilateral negotiations will give the U.S. government more power than multilateral trade negotiations."

De la Mora emphasized that this strategy is applicable to strong countries but not to developing countries, for which "multilateralism is more important than ever."

In addition, the Hong Kong South China Morning Post website published an article on May 16 titled "China Sends Clear Message on Trade Agreement: Multilateralism Is the Only Way." The article pointed out that while everyone is trying to interpret the narrative surrounding the latest U.S.-China trade agreement, few have asked why the talks were held in Geneva.

The answer is simple. The choice of location itself helps understand the outcome of the talks.

The article points out that holding talks at the residence of the representative of the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations Office at Geneva sends a clear message to U.S. President Donald Trump: To solve the problems of the world trading system that worry the U.S., it must be done through multilateral means, and Geneva, the headquarters of the World Trade Organization and many UN agencies, is the natural backdrop.

The article notes that in stark contrast to Trump, the Chinese government has consistently maintained policy coherence over the years. If there is any lesson for Trump's envoys from the Geneva talks, it is this: first, the Chinese government will never accept a trade agreement that does not support multilateralism; second, the Chinese government is actively promoting multilateral cooperation, involving not only the WTO, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and many UN agencies, but also ASEAN, the African Union, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the Belt and Road Initiative, BRICS, CELAC, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum.

The article states that China is not the only country to draw the following conclusion: reducing risks in economic relations with the U.S. must be a priority, while relying more on domestic consumption and strengthening diversified trade links with the global South. The concept of multilateral cooperation will only become more resolute. (Compiled by Wang Meng and Liu Baiyun)

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7505597213377135119/

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