Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

“Call My Name: Macedonia”

By providing tools and models for engagement by Australia’s multicultural community, the "Call My Name" campaign, launched by the Centre for Social Inclusion at the University of Technology Sydney, reinforces the ongoing efforts of Australia's Macedonian diaspora to address the "reckless denialist policies" imposed by "fake liberal democracies" like the US and the EU, writes Ordan Andreevski.

Published 27 June 2024
Protesters from the Macedonian Diaspora in Australia.
7 minute read
This is an opinion piece. The author is responsible for the views expressed in the article.

Australia’s Macedonian diaspora permanent effort to protect Macedonia’s name, identity, culture, history and national interests has been boosted by the Call My Name campaign launched by the Centre for Social Inclusion at the University of Technology Sydney.

The Call My Name campaign has tools and models for engagement by Australia’s multicultural community, civil society and government. It recognises that our names are essential part of our identity. They carry deep personal, cultural, familial, community and historical connections. They also give us a sense of who we are and our place in the world. It is an initiative to decolonise the way we understand and recognise names deemed tricky, contested, unfamiliar or foreign.

Sadly, new despots in fake liberal democracies like the USA, Canada and the EU are implementing reckless denialist policies and practices aimed at robbing Macedonia from its name, distinct identity and evolution from the Ancient Macedonian Kingdom to date.

These new despots are continuing with the horrible policies from 1913 when Macedonia was partitioned by its colonisers in the undemocratic kingdoms Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Albania and their imperialist masters from Great Britain, France and Germany without the consent of the indigenous Macedonian people. Only the Macedonians that lived in Vardar Macedonia managed to liberate themselves from fascism and hegemonism through a people powered democratic revolution. The Macedonians sacrificed more that 100,000 people in antifascist WWII. They managed to form the Republic of Macedonia as part of the Yugoslav federation in 1944 and became independent in 1991 through a Referendum. In 2018 referendum the Macedonian people rejected the offer by NATO and the EU to change their name, identity, history and culture as part of a unconstitutional and illegal Prespa Agreement.

In the wake of the recent Presidential and Parliamentary elections in May 2024 the majority of Macedonians rejected the EU and NATO integration policies at any cost and without consent. The Social Democratic Union and their extremist Albanian partner were ousted and replaced by a coalition led by VMRO, ZNAM and an Albanian opposition not much better than their neo Nazi Albanian cousins.

Only days ago dystopian outgoing politicians like Biden, Macron, Sholtz and Von Der Layen have continued with their foreign interference in Macedonia’s democracy with the aim of killing the passion for freedom, democracy, identity, culture and human rights. They bully Macedonia to continue with the Euro integration process even though everyone knows that EU expansion is unlikely to happen in the next 30 years. There is also no guarantee that NATO and the EU will be around for too long especially if the current pro war coalition is replaced by a Coalition for Peace and Development. It is a convenient tactic to keep Macedonia as a weak client state within the unipolar world disorder and the military industrial complex NATO.

Macedonians in the diaspora were effectively excluded from participating in the Presidential and Parliamentary elections through shameful and insulting pre conditions like having a valid passport with the strongly rejected North Macedonian name. This did not stop the Macedonian diaspora from engaging in political debates and analysis, preparing guides for the elections with key stakeholders inside and outside Macedonia. One of the outcomes has been to send a Show Cause Letter to the newly elected President and Prime Minister why you should remain in office and why new elections are not needed urgently?

The Show Cause letter is issued by a network of deeply concerned Civil Society organisations in Macedonia and the diaspora alleging that the President and Prime Minister of Macedonia have made serious offences under Macedonian or international law.

It enables the officials to explain why they should not be held accountable or removed from office or why new elections must be held urgently. It is an opportunity to appeal for not meeting their contractual obligations from the very start of their mandate. It is the starting point for disciplinary action by civil society in Macedonia and the diaspora and by relevant courts in Macedonia and abroad. It asks the two leaders to show cause and provide an explanation why they should not face legal and political responsibility for their alleged offense including cultural genocide and in colluding with domestic and foreign interference agents.

The two leaders are alleged to have engaged in false and misleading conduct of the elections. They promised that a change of government can change the country. Instead, the Macedonian electorate and the diaspora witnessed a change of regime without any meaningful policy difference with the previous regime. ‘Business as usual’ is not acceptable. The President and Prime Minister have failed to deliver the Social, Political, Ethical, Cultural and Human Rights Contracts when elected in May 2024. The two leaders have one month to respond.

Protecting Macedonian heritage and identity

Australia’s Macedonian diaspora permanent effort to protect Macedonia’s name, identity, culture, history and national interests has been boosted by the Call My Name campaign launched by the Centre for Social Inclusion at the University of Technology Sydney.

The Call My Name campaign has tools and models for engagement by Australia’s multicultural community, civil society and government. It recognises that our names are essential part of our identity. They carry deep personal, cultural, familial, community and historical connections. They also give us a sense of who we are and our place in the world. It is an initiative to decolonise the way we understand and recognise names deemed tricky, contested, unfamiliar or foreign.

Sadly, new despots in fake liberal democracies like the USA, Canada and the EU are implementing reckless denialist policies and practices aimed at robbing Macedonia from its name, distinct identity and evolution from the Ancient Macedonian Kingdom to date.

These new despots are continuing with the horrible policies from 1913 when Macedonia was partitioned by its colonisers in the undemocratic kingdoms Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Albania and their imperialist masters from Great Britain, France and Germany without the consent of the indigenous Macedonian people. Only the Macedonians that lived in Vardar Macedonia managed to liberate themselves from fascism and hegemonism through a people powered democratic revolution. The Macedonians sacrificed more that 100,000 people in antifascist WWII. They managed to form the Republic of Macedonia as part of the Yugoslav federation in 1944 and became independent in 1991 through a Referendum. In 2018 referendum the Macedonian people rejected the offer by NATO and the EU to change their name, identity, history and culture as part of a unconstitutional and illegal Prespa Agreement.

In the wake of the recent Presidential and Parliamentary elections in May 2024 the majority of Macedonians rejected the EU and NATO integration policies at any cost and without consent. The Social Democratic Union and their extremist Albanian partner were ousted and replaced by a coalition led by VMRO, ZNAM and an Albanian opposition not much better than their neo Nazi Albanian cousins.

Only days ago dystopian outgoing politicians like Biden, Macron, Sholtz and Von Der Layen have continued with their foreign interference in Macedonia’s democracy with the aim of killing the passion for freedom, democracy, identity, culture and human rights. They bully Macedonia to continue with the Euro integration process even though everyone knows that EU expansion is unlikely to happen in the next 30 years. There is also no guarantee that NATO and the EU will be around for too long especially if the current pro war coalition is replaced by a Coalition for Peace and Development. It is a convenient tactic to keep Macedonia as a weak client state within the unipolar world disorder and the military industrial complex NATO.

Macedonians in the diaspora were effectively excluded from participating in the Presidential and Parliamentary elections through shameful and insulting pre conditions like having a valid passport with the strongly rejected North Macedonian name. This did not stop the Macedonian diaspora from engaging in political debates and analysis, preparing guides for the elections with key stakeholders inside and outside Macedonia. One of the outcomes has been to send a Show Cause Letter to the newly elected President and Prime Minister why you should remain in office and why new elections are not needed urgently?

The Show Cause letter is issued by a network of deeply concerned Civil Society organisations in Macedonia and the diaspora alleging that the President and Prime Minister of Macedonia have made serious offences under Macedonian or international law.

It enables the officials to explain why they should not be held accountable or removed from office or why new elections must be held urgently. It is an opportunity to appeal for not meeting their contractual obligations from the very start of their mandate. It is the starting point for disciplinary action by civil society in Macedonia and the diaspora and by relevant courts in Macedonia and abroad. It asks the two leaders to show cause and provide an explanation why they should not face legal and political responsibility for their alleged offense including cultural genocide and in colluding with domestic and foreign interference agents.

The two leaders are alleged to have engaged in false and misleading conduct of the elections. They promised that a change of government can change the country. Instead, the Macedonian electorate and the diaspora witnessed a change of regime without any meaningful policy difference with the previous regime. ‘Business as usual’ is not acceptable. The President and Prime Minister have failed to deliver the Social, Political, Ethical, Cultural and Human Rights Contracts when elected in May 2024. The two leaders have one month to respond.

 

Ordan Andreevski

Ordan Andreevski is an advisory board member of the United Macedonian Diaspora in Australia.

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“Remembering history to build a brighter future”

The modern China

All peace-loving peoples share a responsibility to defend the postwar international order and build a community with a shared future for humanity, writes China's Ambassador to Sweden, Cui Aimin.

Published 2 September 2025
5 minute read
This is an opinion piece. The author is responsible for the views expressed in the article.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Eighty years ago, the forces of justice around the world united in courageous battles against their common foes, defeated the overbearing fascist powers, and won the great victory recorded in history. Eighty years later today, the international landscape is fraught with turbulence and transformation, global challenges keep emerging, and the world is standing at a crossroads where choices must be made. We must look back on history to illuminate the present and look toward the future, and draw wisdom and strength from the hard lessons of the Second World War and from the great victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. We must build on past achievements, refute false narratives to set the record straight, cherish peace, pursue common development, and work together to build a better future for humanity.

We should firmly uphold a correct historical perspective on WWII and protect the historical truth. History may fade with time, but historical memory must never be erased. The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War represent the decisive battle between justice and evil, light and darkness, and the forces for progress and the reactionary. Japanese militarists burned, killed, and plundered on Chinese soil, committed the horrific Nanjing Massacre, waged appalling biological and chemical warfare, and conducted “human experimentation.” These heinous atrocities were a brutal trampling on life and human rights, and a grave challenge to human civilization. Under the banner of the Chinese united front against Japanese aggression, which was advocated and established by the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people launched a relentless struggle and held ground in the principal theater in the East of the World Anti-Fascist War after making immense sacrifices of over 35 million military and civilian casualties and economic losses amounting to hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars.

They defeated the brutal Japanese militarists, and carved out an immortal epic of heroic resistance and ultimate victory against Japanese aggression. Eighty years after the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, there are still a few people who ignore the clear historical facts that countless innocent lives were lost during the wars, and repeatedly attempt to deny or glorify the history of aggression, arousing strong condemnation among all peace-loving peoples of the world, including the Chinese people. History cannot be rewritten, and facts cannot be denied. Any attempt to distort the historical truth of WWII, to whitewash the history of aggression and crimes, to overturn the verdict on militarism, or to turn back the wheel of history will never be accepted by the Chinese people, nor by the people across the world.

We should resolutely uphold the postwar international order and jointly meet the challenges of the times. History is the best textbook and the best remedy. The history of WWII is not only a record of the past, but also has a profound impact on contemporary international relations and on the postwar international order. The U.N.-centered international system is the embodiment of the victorious outcome of WWII. It has underpinned global stability and prosperity, ensured overall peace, and propelled the progress of human civilization. At present, the world faces various challenges. Unilateralism and power politics are severely impacting the U.N. and the multilateral system.

Certain countries are aggressively putting their own interests first, practicing power politics, bullying others, and attempting to replace multilateralism with unilateralism and to substitute the postwar international order with so-called rules of their own making. The painful lessons of WWII remain vivid. Hegemonism and the law of the jungle, where might makes right, must never be allowed to return. All peace-loving people of the world must remember the history written with blood and sacrifice, firmly defend the victorious outcome of WWII, uphold true multilateralism, defend the authority and sanctity of the U.N., uphold the vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, jointly oppose hegemonism, power politics and bullying, promote greater democracy in international relations, and defend international fairness and justice.

We should build a community with a shared future for humanity and create a brighter future. History cannot be changed, but the future can be shaped. Facing the important question of “what kind of world we need and how to build such a world”, President Xi Jinping has put forward the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity as well as the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative. They provide China’s wisdom and solutions from multiple dimensions for meeting global changes and addressing the challenges confronting humanity, and respond to the universal aspiration of all peoples for peace, development and cooperation. They set clearer goals and chart a brighter course for humanity’s future, demonstrate China’s sense of responsibility as a major country through concrete actions, and are widely recognized and supported by the international community.

No matter how the international landscape evolves, China will stay committed to the path of peaceful development and the mutually beneficial strategy of opening up, and will remain a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of international order and a provider of public goods. China will continue to promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and work with other countries to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security, and shared prosperity. In advancing the great cause of building a community with a shared future for humanity, countries must draw lessons from history and stand together in solidarity. We need to replace confrontation with cooperation, prevent lose-lose situations through win-win solutions, actively promote friendly cooperation, firmly resist the Cold-War mentality and zero-sum games, and strive to advance world peace and security and the common progress of humanity.

The smoke of WWII has long cleared, but the warning bells of history will always ring. We must follow the logic of history and keep pace with the trend of the times. China will walk hand in hand with countries around the world to uphold what is right, safeguard global stability, deepen win-win cooperation, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, thereby passing on the torch of peace and development from generation to generation.

Cui Aimin,
Chinese Ambassador to Sweden

“Strengthening dialogue among civilizations and creating a better future together”

The modern China

History has repeatedly shown that openness fosters mutual understanding, and exchanges deepen mutual trust. The Chinese and Swedish peoples share a deep consensus on this, writes China's Ambassador to Sweden, Cui Aimin.

Published 19 June 2025
For Aimin, dialogue is the key to advancing human civilization and building a shared future.
4 minute read
This is an opinion piece. The author is responsible for the views expressed in the article.

On June 10, we celebrated the first International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations of the United Nations. This commemorative day, jointly initiated by China and over 80 countries, carries the common expectations of the international community for peace, development and friendship. It also marks a new starting point for different civilizations in the world to jointly meet challenges and embrace a better future. Dialogue among civilizations is a good way to resolve differences, mutual learning among civilizations is the source of human progress, and inter-civilizational exchanges can provide a continuous flow of fresh ideas and strong impetus for China-Sweden friendly cooperation.

Dialogue among civilizations: The “golden key” to meeting the challenges of the times

At present, the international landscape is undergoing profound changes, marked by intertwined crises and risks, along with increasing deficit in peace, development, security and governance. Against this backdrop, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Civilization Initiative in 2023, which has received broad support from many countries and injected strong momentum into the modernization of human society and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. In 2024, the 78th UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution to establish the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, which reflects the universal aspiration of people of all countries to foster dialogue among civilizations and advance human progress. It also makes important contributions to enhancing equal exchanges and dialogues among different civilizations and promoting world peace and development.

History has repeatedly shown that openness fosters mutual understanding, and exchanges deepen mutual trust. The Chinese and Swedish peoples share a deep consensus on this. Nobel’s belief of serving humanity as a citizen of the world and the statement from China’s Book of Rites, “A just cause should be pursued for the common good,” both embody the philosophy of transcending civilizational barriers and striving for harmonious coexistence. As we mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations, dialogue among civilizations holds even greater significance. Barriers and prejudices only exacerbate conflicts; only through inter-civilizational dialogue can we build a solid foundation for mutual trust and ensure common security.

Mutual learning among civilizations: The anchor of promoting China-Sweden cooperation

Human history is an epic of encounters, mutual learning, and symbiosis among different civilizations. Although China and Sweden are located at the opposite ends of the Eurasian continent, the two countries share a long history of friendly exchanges. More than 280 years ago, the merchant ship Götheborg established the bond of exchanges between China and Sweden. Seventy-five years ago, Sweden became the first Western country to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have maintained active exchanges and cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, science and technology, culture, and education. In the digital age, people-to-people exchanges have been further invigorated, depicting a vibrant picture of mutual learning among civilizations in the new era.

Sweden became the first Western country to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.

Civilizations have become richer and more colorful with exchanges and mutual learning. The complementary strengths of China and Sweden in the fields of scientific and technological innovation, green development and cultural exchanges have not only promoted the steady development of bilateral relations, but also contributed Eastern wisdom and Nordic experience to global sustainable development. This kind of mutual learning among civilizations, based on mutual respect, openness and inclusiveness, transcends geographical and cultural differences. It builds a bridge of win-win cooperation, and stands as a vivid practice of mutual success and shared progress of countries with different civilizations, different systems and different stages of development.

Mutual advancement of civilizations: The compass for creating a better future

President Xi Jinping has pointed out that countries are not riding separately in some 190 small boats, but are rather all in a giant ship on which our shared destiny hinges. It is the cherished vision of the Chinese people that a noble cause is never a lonely pursuit and the whole world is one family. Promoting human progress and world harmony has been a relentless pursuit of the Communist Party of China. China and Sweden should take the International Day of Dialogue among Civilizations as an opportunity to draw on historical wisdom, seize the opportunities of the times, carry forward traditional friendship, and strengthen exchanges and cooperation. We should actively promote international free trade, jointly oppose unilateralism and the law of the jungle, firmly safeguard their legitimate rights and interests as well as the common interests of the international community, and contribute greater stability and certainty to the world.

Dialogue among different civilizations has always been a timeless theme in the progress of humanity. China is ready to work with Sweden and other partners around the world to uphold equality among civilizations, promote exchanges among civilizations, advance the progress of civilizations, move toward the inspiring vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and join hands to create a better tomorrow.

 

Cui Aimin, China’s Ambassador to Sweden

“Sweden – trading biodiversity for trophies”

Biodiversity

It is becoming a sore pill to swallow for most Swedish citizens, seeing how the country with one hand portrays itself as a nature-preserving country and with the other hand literally sells out the country’s biodiversity, writes wildlife expert Misha Istratov.

Published 28 April 2025
4 minute read
This is an opinion piece. The author is responsible for the views expressed in the article.

While most Swedes were recovering after their New Year’s celebration, a few hundred were instead preparing for an adventure. On dark parking lots around five wolf territories, masked men in snow-white camouflage were adjusting silencers on their rifles and baiting their specially bred hunting dogs for a pursuit of a lifetime. The second day of the year bore promises of skins and furs from an endangered species, namely the Swedish wolf. Around 4,000 hunters had submitted interest in being chosen for killing one of the 30 wolves, out of which almost 400 were foreign trophy hunters. In the end, 25 wolves were killed, while the remaining five were not present in their territory. The only feasible explanation is illegal hunting, meaning that they had already been shot, but without permission.

The barrels had barely gotten cold before it was time for another next fauna execution. In February, practice is yearly allowed on the iconic lynx, where loose dogs are set loose in order to train the pursuers to find the mysterious cat. The practice is called “treeing” since the lynx has developed a defence against larger carnivores where it most aptly finds refuge in a tree. Unfortunately, this protection does not help against humans, whose rifles easily end the felines lives, after which they fall from the tree. The real hunt started on the first of March, and during the last two years, over 350 lynxes (roughly 13 percent yearly of the endangered population) have been shot to death, with over ten thousand hunters filing for the exclusive right to kill a lynx.

This “right” is delegated by the Swedish Environment Protection Agency to the counties to issue, and it is called “licensed hunting” or simply, culling. Most experts on European law agree that these practices violate the EU’s Habitats Directive since both the lynx and the wolf (as well as the bear and the wolverine, who are both also hunted yearly) are protected animals. Sweden has been under supervision by the EU for an infringement case in 2010 concerning the wolf hunt and this year a new submission will be opened because of the lynx culling.

Swedes are generally eager in shaming trophy hunters that go abroad to kill rhinos and other endangered animals and return with interior design items fashioned from the remains of their kills. Nor does the Swedish public brace itself in antipathy for killers of large African cats such as Cecil the lion. But when it comes to the rare cats in their own forests, such as the endangered lynx, the trophy hunt is met with surprisingly dispassionate reactions from the general public.

Just like African trophy hunters create myths like the ones that trophy hunting helps preserve species, boosts local economies, and is directed towards older individuals (all of which are scientifically inaccurate according to a large number of studies), Nordic trophy hunters have created their own fallacies to pawn in order to sway less knowledgeable politicians and civilians. Here, a myth has been fabricated that licensed hunting reduces illegal hunting, after a paper’s result was distorted by the hunting interest.

Several international studies, as well as a Swedish study, point in the direct opposite, and this is hardly surprising—if the authorities themselves allow the killing of wolves, how wrong can it be if private citizens take matters into their own hands? Since only three people have been convicted for illegal wolf killing in over ten years in Sweden, while hundreds of wolves have gone “missing”, the reward seems to outweigh the risk for certain individuals.

The propagators of these cullings, namely the two large hunting organisations, are receiving millions of governmental funds yearly. Meanwhile, nature protection organisations survive on scraps, and their funding is being cut by half this year. All this despite the fact that we are in the middle of a species crisis where 73 percent of global wildlife populations have disappeared in the last 50 years, according to WWF’s Living Planet Report.

In Sweden, red-listed species among mammals and birds have increased 50 percent in only twenty years. While the four large carnivores are on the Swedish red list, as well as 131 other species, one would expect the government to issue resolute action.

Instead, the authorities do all they can to enable the trophy hunt. It reaches such extents that they do not only allow the shooters to keep the furs of the killed red-listed animals, but the Swedish Veterinary Agency offers all the shooters the service of boiling and preparing the skull to keep as a keepsake for a symbolic cost.

Meanwhile, it is becoming a sore pill to swallow for most Swedish citizens, seeing how the country with one hand portrays itself as a nature-preserving country and with the other hand literally sells out the country’s biodiversity, encouraging trophy hunting of endangered animals.

 

Misha Istratov, entrepreneur, wildlife ambassador and writer

About the commentator

Misha Istratov is the CEO of Elithus and an independent commentator on sustainability in general, specializing in wildlife management.

“Trade wars have no winners – protectionism is a dead end”

Donald Trump's USA

Open cooperation represents the trend of history and mutual benefit is what the people want, writes WAN Degang, Charge d'Affairs of the Chinese Embassy in Sweden.

Published 11 April 2025
Aerial view of cargo ship carrying container running for export import near cargo yard port concept freight shipping.
3 minute read
This is an opinion piece. The author is responsible for the views expressed in the article.

Recently, the United States has imposed tariffs arbitrarily on all its trading partners under various pretexts. This severely infringes upon the legitimate rights and interests of all countries, violates World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, undermines the rules-based multilateral trading system, and disrupts the global economic order. People from many countries have pointed out that the U.S. overlooks the well-being of of its own citizens and the interests of other countries, which could ultimately lead to internal and external difficulties, resulting in losses for all parties involved.

First, the U.S. tariffs are widely criticized by international community.

The U.S. side claimed that it is being ripped off in international trade, and increased tariffs on all its trading partners under the pretext of reciprocity. This is in complete disregard of the balance of interests achieved through years of trade negotiations. It also neglects the fact that the U.S. has gained huge interests from international trade over the years. Such action is widely criticized and opposed by the international community. The European Commission, the European Central Bank, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and other institutions and countries have stated that the U.S. tariffs negatively impact the global economy, disrupt the trading system that has fostered great progress for humanity and undermine the global free trade order. Faced with such unilateral and bullying action, the only way to stop the U.S. from harvesting the world is for all countries to strengthen their solidarity and cooperation to jointly resist and oppose such action.

Second, the U.S. tariffs hurt the U.S. itself as well as other countries.

The U.S. unilateral policy of so-called “reciprocal tariffs” is bound to result in a “lose-lose” situation in practice, inflicting direct harm to the global economy and the interests of its trading partners, while negatively impacting its own economy, businesses and consumers. The day after the U.S. announced its tariffs plan, the S&P 500 index plummeted 4.8%, wiping out over $4 trillion in market value in a short span. Experts at JP Morgan estimated that the tariffs could reduce U.S. GDP by 0.3% for the year, down from the previous forecast of 1.3% growth. Meanwhile, the U.S. inflation level remains high. The Core Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) Price Index, which excludes food and energy prices, rose 2.8% year-on-year in February. Relevant U.S. agencies predicted that the new tariffs will cost Americans an additional $660 billion annually in taxes, with average local car prices expected to rise by $3,000 to $5,000. The impact won’t stop at the automotive sector; industries such as food, electronics, household appliances, construction materials and agricultural equipment will also be affected, leading to significantly higher expenditures for American households.

Third, the U.S. tariffs hinder global sustainable development.

The U.S. abuse of tariffs deprives countries, especially those in the Global South, of their right to development. The U.S. imposes tariffs on more than 180 countries and regions worldwide, including some economies classified by the United Nations as least developed. According to WTO data, given the disparities in economic development and strength, U.S. tariffs could further widen the global wealth gap, with less developed countries suffering a heavier blow. The Spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary-General warned that the trade war will adversely affect implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, and the concern right now is with the most vulnerable countries, which are the least equipped to deal with the current situation. The WTO noted that the U.S. tariffs could lead to an overall contraction of around 1% in global merchandise trade volumes this year, disrupting global trade and economic growth prospects.

Open cooperation represents the trend of history and mutual benefit is what the people want. Development is a universal right of all countries, not an exclusive privilege of a few. Countries need to uphold the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefit, and remain committed to true multilateralism. They should practice true multilateralism, jointly oppose all forms of unilateralism and protectionism, and defend the U.N.-centered international system and the WTO-centered multilateral trading system. We are confident that the vast majority of countries, committed to fairness and justice, will stand on the right side of history and act in their best interests.

 

WAN Degang,
Charge d’Affairs of the Chinese Embassy in Sweden

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