ASEAN Summit: Beijing Urges Against ‘Might Makes Right’ Trade

At the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivered a strong critique of “unilateralism,” cautioning that the international community must not regress to a “law of the jungle” approach to global commerce. This critical commentary surfaces mere days before an anticipated summit between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in South Korea, aimed at resolving trade disputes. Premier Li articulated that global economic integration and a multipolar world order are inevitable trends. He explicitly stated, “The world should not return to the law of the jungle, where the strong bully the weak,” a clear jab at unilateral trade measures. Coinciding with these pronouncements, both China and the US have indicated a preliminary agreement on trade, leading to the removal of a threatened 100% tariff on Chinese imports. This breakthrough follows intensive discussions between high-level trade officials.