Chinese to pursue ‘correct’ path of globalization

Chinese to pursue ‘correct’ path of globalization
China's Premier Li Qiang attends the closing session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 23 March 2025
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Chinese to pursue ‘correct’ path of globalization

Chinese to pursue ‘correct’ path of globalization
  • “China will firmly stand on the correct side of history, that of fairness and justice," Premier Li Qiang tells global business executives
  • The China Development Forum convenes amid a renewed trade war with the US under Trump threatening China’s booming exports

BEIJING: China’s number two leader told a gathering of business executives in Beijing on Sunday that the country would “adhere to the correct direction of economic globalization” in the face of “fragmentation.”
The China Development Forum convenes amid a renewed trade war with Washington, with the return of Donald Trump to the White House threatening China’s booming exports.
Beijing has been seeking to steer a shaky economy onto a more stable path since the end of the pandemic, particularly by boosting consumption.
“China will firmly stand on the correct side of history, that of fairness and justice, and act in a righteous manner amid the rough waters of the times,” Premier Li Qiang told the Chinese officials and global business executives.
China will “adhere to the correct direction of economic globalization, practice true multilateralism and strive to be a force for stability and certainty,” he added.
The Chinese premier said that “today, global economic fragmentation is intensifying,” adding that “instability and uncertainty are on the rise.”
Li’s speech came at the opening of the annual China Development Forum, attended this year by prominent business leaders including Apple CEO Tim Cook.
 


Pro-Palestinian activists use lift to scale Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate

Pro-Palestinian activists use lift to scale Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate
Updated 13 sec ago
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Pro-Palestinian activists use lift to scale Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate

Pro-Palestinian activists use lift to scale Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate

BERLIN: Pro-Palestinian activists climbed atop Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate and unfurled a large banner on Thursday before police arrested them.
Six activists wearing work vests and using a rented cherry-picker truck drove onto the tourist-packed square at noon, with three of them quickly using the lift to get on top of the 26-meter-tall structure.
“It happened very quickly,” Berlin police spokesperson Florian Nath said at the site. 
“We were here within minutes, but the basket was already on 
its way up, and we didn’t stop it then because it’s too dangerous in case something happens 
or people fall out.”

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A special police rescue team climbed up the Brandenburg Gate to detain the activists and bring them back down in an operation that lasted about an hour and a half.

The activists on top of the gate unfurled a banner reading “Never again genocide — freedom for Palestine.” They also lit flares and shouted slogans.
The other three activists, meanwhile, locked themselves in the cab of the truck, with police smashing a window to arrest them forcibly.
A special police rescue team climbed up the Brandenburg Gate to detain the activists and bring them back down in an operation that lasted about an hour and a half, Nath said.
All six activists were detained on suspicion of trespassing and other violations, Nath said.
He added that investigators were still checking whether the cherry picker had done any damage to the 18th-century gate.
Thursday’s incident was not the first time protesters or others have illegally climbed the landmark, a well-known symbol of Germany located near the heart of Berlin’s government district.
“We’ve had that happen quite a few times,” Nath said. 
“Our rescue team is very familiar with the routes up there. They’re very experienced.”