At Summer Davos, Chinese premier opposes 'politicization of economic risks'

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) - Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday opposed the politicization of economic risks and said his country will continue to provide strong impetus and drive to global economic growth.

Li said de-risking and reducing interdependence is a "false proposition" as the global economy has "already become intertwined."

He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, often called the Summer Davos, hosted by the World Economic Forum in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin.

"The so-called risk should not be the judgment of a government or an organization, but companies concerned with and involved in production," state-run Global Times quoted Premier Li as saying.

He added that during the past three years, Beijing has maintained an average annual growth of 4.5%, 2.5% points higher than the global average, ranking first among major economies.

This year's forum, held from Tuesday to Thursday in north China's Tianjin city, is themed "Entrepreneurship: The Driving Force of the Global Economy."

About 1,500 participants from the business sector, government, civil society, international organizations and the academia are attending the in-person event after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The prime ministers of Barbados, Mongolia, New Zealand, Viet Nam and director general of the World Trade Organization Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala are attending the event, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.