Tariff and trade wars will have ‘no winners': China's vice president at World Peace Forum
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng said that tariff and trade wars will have no winners, during his speech at the 13th World Peace Forum at the Tsinghua University in Beijing.
He added that maintaining the multilateral trade system is key to avoiding disruptions in global supply chains.
His remarks came as the Jul 9 deadline nears for countries to complete tariff negotiations with Washington.
Han laid out a four-point proposal on advancing global peace and prosperity – the theme of this year's forum. They are: learning from history and safeguarding international order, improving global governance, promoting openness and cooperation, and advancing toward modernisation.
He warned against what he called a 'supremacist hegemonic mindset', a term typically used by Chinese state media to describe the US.
He pitched China as a key force in maintaining peace amid heightened geopolitical tensions.
'In today's increasingly volatile world, all parties must take shared responsibility,' he said. 'Military force is not a viable solution to international disputes. It only fuels hatred and deepens division. We must not return to the law of the jungle or embrace hegemonism and unilateral dominance.'
He also raised concerns about the threat of a widening gap between the rich and poor, as well as the inequalities in global growth, specifically among developing countries.
WORLD PEACE FORUM
Some 1,200 participants, including foreign dignitaries, international strategists and scholars, attended the event.
The forum featured more than 60 foreign speakers, with half hailing from Global South countries such as Egypt, Kazakhstan, and South Africa.
Analysts said Beijing is leveraging the platform to deepen ties with the Global South and reinforce the narrative of its peaceful rise as a global power.
'(As) the largest country in the Global South, (China) wants to use its heft to represent the needs and wants of the Global South that aligns with its own national interests and agenda,' said Lim Tai Wei, a professor at Soka University.
He added that some among the Chinese political elites perceive the US as shifting away from its traditional role of a global leader – marked by more inward-looking and nationalistic policies – and that Beijing could step in to fill the gap.
While Vice President Han was discreet, the language was less subtle in another session at the peace forum, with a senior Chinese diplomat calling out the US for stirring up conflict instead of encouraging peace.
Liu Jianchao, who heads the International Department of the Communist Party of China, cited US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's recent remarks at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, when he touted the Trump administration's peace through strength doctrine.
Liu told the forum that a stable and secure external environment is essential for China's sustained development.
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