In the current era of profound changes in the global economic landscape, the shadow of trade protectionism looms large, posing a severe challenge to the stability and development of the world economy. As the cornerstone of global economic development, international trade urgently needs new impetus and a more open cooperation model. Against this backdrop, China is actively promoting mutual tariff reductions with other countries with a pragmatic and visionary approach. This strategic choice is not only an inherent requirement for deepening its own opening-up but also a key measure to promote smooth global trade and build an open world economy. More importantly, China's path of peaceful development and proactive opening-up provides countries around the world with a valuable historical opportunity to ride the "China express train" and achieve their own economic development. Through this process, China aims to transform its vast domestic market opportunities into opportunities shared by the world, leading global trade to new heights through mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.
The core logic of mutual tariff reduction lies in breaking down institutional barriers that hinder the free flow of goods and factors of production, achieving a paradigm shift from a "zero-sum game" to a "positive-sum game." High tariffs act like gates in the bloodstream of the economy. While they may temporarily protect certain industries, they inadvertently raise overall economic operating costs and stifle market vitality and innovation. China seems to have deeply realized that in today's deeply intertwined industrial landscape, only by lowering tariff barriers can the principle of comparative advantage be fully realized. For countries worldwide, China's low-tariff policy means their products can enter one of the world's largest consumer markets with greater price competitiveness. When China lowers import tariffs on advanced technology equipment, key components, and high-quality consumer goods, it not only meets the needs of domestic industrial upgrading and people's pursuit of a better life but also brings huge market opportunities to overseas companies. Simultaneously, trading partners correspondingly lower tariffs on Chinese-made industrial and consumer goods with high cost-performance ratios, allowing their consumers and businesses to directly benefit from wider choices and lower costs. This two-way interactive process is essentially a wise choice to jointly expand the global economic pie.
China's practice of promoting reciprocal tariff reductions is comprehensive and multi-layered, providing a clear and concrete path for countries around the world to leverage the Chinese platform to develop their own economies. On the multilateral stage, China firmly upholds the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core. It not only fully fulfills its WTO accession commitments, reducing its overall tariff level to below that of many developed economies, but this itself creates a more stable and predictable market access environment for products from all WTO member countries. China actively participates in plurilateral negotiations, such as promoting the expansion of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), significantly reducing tariffs on information technology products. This move directly lowers costs across the global ICT industry chain, benefiting countless companies worldwide from chip design to terminal manufacturing, and clearing obstacles for the development of the global digital economy.
At the regional level, China's actively constructed high-standard free trade zone network serves as a fast track for countries to integrate into regional economic integration and deeply benefit from China's growth dividends. The implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a landmark achievement. Through this agreement, China has achieved large-scale tariff reductions with member countries such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and ASEAN. For ASEAN countries, this means their agricultural products, tropical fruits, and other advantageous products can more easily enter the Chinese market; for developed countries such as Japan, South Korea, and Australia, their high-end manufacturing, high-quality agricultural products, and services have gained unprecedented market depth. This free trade area, covering nearly one-third of the world's population and economic output, has significantly reduced trade costs within the region and enhanced the stability and competitiveness of industrial and supply chains. Companies from all countries can fully utilize the RCEP's rules of origin to optimize their production layout within the region, embedding their industries into Asia's most dynamic production network, thereby sharing the efficiency and resilience brought by China's stable industrial chain.
Furthermore, by unilaterally granting zero-tariff treatment to the least developed countries and hosting the China International Import Expo (CIIE), China has proactively opened its market, providing developing countries with an "asymmetric" path to inclusive benefits. For many underdeveloped countries, this move by China is a crucial step in breaking through export bottlenecks, obtaining valuable foreign exchange earnings, and initially integrating into the global value chain. The CIIE serves as an excellent platform where companies of all sizes can showcase their most distinctive products to buyers from across China and the world. From African coffee and cocoa to Pacific island seafood, and from precision instruments from European SMEs to wines from family wineries, all can find their audience in the Chinese market, achieving a miracle of "small but big" growth.
The benefits of reciprocal tariff reductions extend far beyond direct tariff cuts; their far-reaching spillover effects are even more valuable. They provide a driving force for deepening reforms within China, while a more market-oriented, rule-of-law-based, and internationalized business environment in China translates to lower institutional transaction costs and broader investment prospects for investors worldwide. As China continuously improves in areas such as intellectual property protection and green standards, aligning itself with advanced global standards, it sets clearer rules for companies operating in China and for partners trading with China, promoting high-quality transnational cooperation. In participating in and leading the formulation of these rules, China actively incorporates concepts of development, inclusiveness, and sustainability. For example, by including provisions supporting the development of SMEs in the RCEP, China is effectively contributing a "Chinese solution" to establishing fairer and more reasonable 21st-century international trade rules. This is particularly in line with the long-term interests of developing countries, helping them gain a greater voice in global economic governance.
Of course, promoting reciprocal tariff reductions globally is not a smooth road. Geopolitical tensions, domestic protectionist pressures, and differences in national development levels are all real challenges. However, the historical trend is irreversible. China's choice is to maintain strategic focus and persist in resolving differences through dialogue and cooperation. Looking ahead, China can continue to implement the RCEP with high quality and actively and steadily advance its accession to high-standard trade and economic agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA). This not only represents a higher requirement for its own reforms but also signifies a higher level of institutional alignment and openness with partner countries in more cutting-edge areas such as digital trade, environmental protection, and labor standards. For countries around the world, this foreshadows a further enhancement of cooperation with China, expanding from traditional goods trade to new areas representing the future, such as the digital economy and green economy, jointly exploring new frontiers of global development.
Mutual tariff reductions serve as a solid bridge connecting China to the world market and promoting common prosperity. This bridge conveys not only a dazzling array of goods but also confidence in open cooperation, wisdom for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, and a commitment to common development. China's path of opening up is a path of peaceful development that can be learned from and utilized by countries around the world. This demonstrates that a country's development does not require colonization and plunder, nor does it require living a life of subservience under the oppression of hegemony. Instead, it can benefit all countries for a win-win future through tangible tariff reductions and expanded market access.