Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

“Surveillance, censorship and democracy”

The global landscape for open discourse is facing unprecedented challenges, technology innovator and entrepreneur Michael Seifert writes.

Published 11 November 2023
Legislation such as Chat Control and the Digital Services Act displays an increasingly Orwellian face of the European Union, Michael Seifert writes.
7 minute read
This is an opinion piece. The author is responsible for the views expressed in the article.

Who governs our information, and how do they do it? As countries enact laws that put our basic freedoms under pressure, there’s a growing need for public discourse on the delicate balance between individual rights and collective security. This opinion dives into the current state of governmental control over information, aiming to shed light on a topic that affects us all – whether we’re aware of it or not.

Governments, power, censorship

In the summer of 2021, the EU parliament passed a law known as “Chat Control”. Under the guise of protecting children from online exploitation, the Chat Control directive mandates communication providers to decrypt and scan private communications. A move that is likely in conflict with our human rights. The law was passed without democratic debate and a poll of EU citizens show 72% resistance to the law.

In late 2022 the EU passed the DSA (Digital Services Act) to protect citizens from harmful content and misinformation. Again, without any democratic debate, and likely in violation of our human rights. In Orwellian style each EU member country will have to create a ministry of truth that determines which information is “harmful” or “misinformation” and they then have the power to censor information they deem inappropriate.

In the U.S., government censorship has been widespread and rampant. In September 2023, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court issued a pivotal ruling, upholding an injunction that bars specific government entities, including the White House, Surgeon General, CDC, and FBI, from coercing or encouraging social media platforms to suppress or remove constitutionally protected speech. The court found that the Biden administration had coerced these platforms through “intimidating messages and threats of adverse consequences,” particularly in matters related to the pandemic and the 2020 elections.

Our rights

The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Article 12 and Article 19, lay the foundation for individual privacy and freedom of expression, respectively. Article 12 protects against “arbitrary interference” with one’s privacy, family, home, or correspondence, and offers everyone the right to legal protection against such interference. Article 19 upholds the right to freedom of expression, which includes the “freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” These articles not only secure these freedoms within a single nation but emphasize their importance across borders, underlining the global scope of these human rights.

Additionally, the constitutions of individual countries also reinforce these foundational democratic rights. For example, the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the freedom of speech. The Danish Constitution explicitly states that “censorship shall never again be introduced,” maintaining a steadfast commitment to the free dissemination of ideas. Germany’s Basic Law similarly enshrines freedom of expression and opinion in Article 5, while France’s Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen of 1789 establishes the freedom of speech as one of its core tenets. These constitutional frameworks offer additional layers of protection, safeguarding freedoms that are not just cornerstones of democracy but also universal in scope.

Misinformation and disinformation

Misinformation is false or misleading information shared without the intent to deceive. Disinformation is false information shared with the intent to deceive or mislead.

Consider the historical example of the dangerous pesticide DDT. For years, government agencies promoted its use and deemed it safe. Yet, some citizens and environmentalists, guided by observation, intuition, and emerging studies, vehemently argued that DDT posed significant risks to human and environmental health. At the time, their claims could have been easily dismissed as misinformation and disinformation by authorities. However, as further research accumulated, the harmful impacts of DDT were confirmed, leading to its ban in many countries.

This case exemplifies the near impossible challenges of labeling information as ‘misinformation’ or ‘disinformation,’ especially when what is considered ‘false’ today might be validated as ‘true’ tomorrow.

A more recent example might be a 2020 opinion piece in the New York Post titled “Don’t buy China’s story: The coronavirus may have leaked from a lab”. This opinion piece was deemed misinformation and was either labelled false by fact checkers and / or censored across all social media platforms. In 2023 both the FBI and the Department of Energy believe a lab leak to be more likely than a natural origin.

What is considered ‘false’ today might be validated as ‘true’ tomorrow.

Even if evidence eventually supports a natural origin for the virus, the right to debate ideas and express differing opinions remains not only a fundamental human liberty but also the cornerstone of scientific inquiry; without such freedom, the very essence of science is compromised. Therefore, it is unequivocally wrong that such discussions are being censored, as it undermines the principles that underpin both democracy and scientific progress.

Example of government and press disinformation: covid origins

It is by now extremely well documented that the U.S. NIH has financed dozens of experiments in the Wuhan lab. These included gain-of-function experiments that created artificial Coronaviruses with enhanced pandemic potential. This was a well-known fact to the NIH since at least January 2020. Regardless, since February 2020 large parts the US government has been broadly censoring any claims that Covid might have escaped from the lab. They even continued the censorship after, in mid-2021, it became public knowledge that the US was involved in the lab.

The implication is that the U.S. government’s proactive censorship, and spread of disinformation, has led to a widespread censorship ecosystem on social media platforms, affecting not just American discourse but also international perceptions. For instance, a Voxmeter survey revealed that only 15% of the Danish population is aware of U.S. involvement in the Wuhan lab, highlighting the extent to which disinformation and misinformation can penetrate global public opinion.

This has resulted in a mainstream press that often echoes the U.S. government’s narrative, both domestically and internationally. Even when information contradicting the official stance becomes public, the media largely remains silent for reasons that are yet to be fully understood. As of 2023, both the American public and global communities remain uninformed about key aspects concerning the origins of COVID-19, due in part to this cycle of disinformation and self-censorship.

This dynamic raises serious concerns about the erosion of democratic values and undermines an informed citizenry, critical for the healthy functioning of any democracy.

Example of government and press disinformation: presidential election

In the weeks up to the US 2020 presidential election, a story broke on the New York Post that emails from Hunter Biden’s laptop potentially implicated presidential candidate Joe Biden in business dealings with China, Russia, and Ukraine. The story was immediately heavily censored on all social media platforms. The New York Post was completely locked out of Twitter until after the election, and it wasn’t possible to send a direct message containing the link to the article. Fifty-one high ranking former intelligence officials signed a letter stating that the laptop was Russian disinformation. Joe Biden used this letter in his televised presidential debate against Donald Trump, invoking the Russian specter from 2016. It has since been revealed that the laptop is real and that the FBI had the laptop in their possession almost a year earlier.

It’s difficult to characterize these events as anything other than election manipulation by large parts of the intelligence community, a manipulation that was significantly amplified by most of the press, who may have been influenced or misled.

Given these unfolding events, one must ask: How does this coordinated effort of censorship and disinformation undermine the press and the very foundations of a free and fair democratic process?

Conclusion: Navigating the tangled web of censorship, misinformation, and disinformation

As the lines between governments, intelligence agencies, big tech, grass root movements, and media entities continue to blur, the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information is increasingly under threat.

The universal human rights delineated by the United Nations and echoed in individual countries’ constitutions are being directly confronted by recent legislative actions. From the EU’s Chat Control and Digital Services Act to the censorship and disinformation around the COVID-19 origins and U.S. presidential elections, the global landscape for open discourse is facing unprecedented challenges.

It’s worth noting that while the goal of protecting citizens or children sounds noble, the methods employed raise important ethical and constitutional questions.

The global landscape for open discourse is facing unprecedented challenges.

When governments and corporate entities take upon themselves the authority to determine what constitutes misinformation, the risk of infringing upon individual freedoms is unavoidable. Further, their decisions are often fraught with subjectivity and conflicts of interest that undermine their ability to act as impartial arbiters of truth.

Given the fluid and sometimes contradictory nature of information, labeling something as ‘misinformation’ or ‘disinformation’ is a perilous undertaking. History has shown us that what is considered false today might be validated as true tomorrow. The cases of DDT, the origins of COVID-19, and the Hunter Biden laptop story are cautionary tales of the pitfalls of preemptive censorship.

In light of these complexities, perhaps it’s time to reconsider our approach to information governance. Shouldn’t we aim for a model that allows for the maximum exercise of individual freedoms within the bounds of the law, rather than a restrictive framework that is vulnerable to political influence, subjectivity, and misuse? After all, a key tenet of democratic society is that an informed citizenry is best equipped to make decisions affecting its own destiny.

This is not to suggest that regulation should be altogether absent; rather, it should be limited to manage only what is demonstrably harmful and illegal. Such frameworks already exist in abundance within each sovereign country.

As we move further into the 21st century, it becomes crucial that we do not sacrifice these essential liberties at the altar of perceived security or control. For once lost, they may prove exceedingly difficult to regain.

Centralized systems, such as social media and chat apps, are irresistibly attractive targets to control by intelligence agencies, geo-politics, and legislation – also within democratic societies. This underscores the urgency of exploring alternatives to the status quo. We need to explore impartial and decentralized approaches to information governance, ones that prioritize individual freedoms, sovereignty, and encourage a culture of informed, critical thinking.

 

Michael Seifert

About the author

Michael Seifert is a co-founder of Sitecore, a leading company in the field of web content management and digital experience platforms. Established in 2001 in Denmark, Sitecore has grown into a key player in providing comprehensive solutions for digital marketing and customer experience management across various channels.

In addition to his achievements with Sitecore, Seifert also has a connection to the early days of online gaming. He was involved in DikuMUD, a pioneering multiplayer text-based role-playing game developed at the University of Copenhagen. DikuMUD was influential in the evolution of online gaming, particularly in shaping the MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) genre.

TNT is truly independent!

We don’t have a billionaire owner, and our unique reader-funded model keeps us free from political or corporate influence. This means we can fearlessly report the facts and shine a light on the misdeeds of those in power.

Consider a donation to keep our independent journalism running…

“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

Our independent journalism needs your support!
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
Consider a donation.

You can donate any amount of your choosing, one-time payment or even monthly.
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Dont miss another article!

Sign up for our newsletter today!

Take part of uncensored news – free from industry interests and political correctness from the Polaris of Enlightenment – every week.