Xi pledges resolve to join CPTPP to undermine US

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Xi promised that China will maintain its commitment to economic globalization that is more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial for all….reports Asian Lite News

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday pledged to make its domestic market open and reiterated its resolve to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in order to undermine the role of the US in championing free trade.

Speaking via a video link to the China International Import Expo, a six-day trade fair that opens to the public Friday in Shanghai, he stressed that since China acceded to the World Trade Organization two decades ago, the country has cut its overall tariff rate to below the level set in its accession commitment, reported NHK World.

The expo will bring together businesses and other entities from more than 120 countries and territories.

Xi promised that China will maintain its commitment to economic globalization that is more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial for all. He added China will actively participate in the CPTPP, reported NHK World.

In September, Beijing applied to take part in the trade accord, which encompasses 11 countries, including Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. The United States is not a signatory to the pact, though Washington was the brainchild of the deal.

Analysts say Xi sought to underscore his stance on international cooperation in contrast with other countries, such as the US, that are perceived to be taking protectionist policies, reported NHK World.

China slams Pentagon report

China has said that the recent report released by the Pentagon is full of prejudice and disregarded facts that claimed Beijing is rapidly expanding the number of its nuclear delivery platforms.

A new Pentagon report on Wednesday revealed that China is constructing the infrastructure necessary to support its nuclear expansion over the next decade.

Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that the US hyping up China’s “nuclear threat” is nothing but a trick to manipulate words and confuse the public which the international community is fully aware of, according to Global Times.

The Pentagon’s report titled “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China (PRC) 2021”, said that “the accelerating pace of the PRC’s nuclear expansion may enable the PRC to have up to 700 deliverable nuclear warheads by 2027. The PRC likely intends to have at least 1,000 warheads by 2030, exceeding the pace and size the DoD projected in 2020.”

China is investing in, and expanding, the number of its land-, sea-, and air-based nuclear delivery platforms and constructing the infrastructure necessary to support this major expansion of its nuclear forces, according to the report which was released on Wednesday.

China has possibly already established a nascent “nuclear triad” with the development of a nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) and improvement of its ground and sea-based nuclear capabilities, the report read. (ANI)

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