On April 9, 2025, Mr. Fan Xuecheng, Chargé d'affaires a.i. of the Chinese Embassy in Uganda, published a signed article titled “China is Committed to Open Economy and Free Trade” in Uganda’s newspapers, Daily Monitor. The full text is as follows:

The world has plunged into unprecedented chaos due to the so called “reciprocal tariffs” by US. Under various pretexts, the United States has unilaterally imposed these tariffs on its trading partners, including China, severely undermining the rules-based multilateral trading system and violating the principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO). These actions, featured with unilateralism, protectionism, and economic coercion, not only disrupt global supply chains and economic stability, but also infringe upon the legitimate development rights of countries worldwide. China stands firmly against these.

First, tariffs should not be a tool of political manipulation or economic bullying. As noted in the Chinese government’s recent statement, using tariffs as leverage for selfish geopolitical ends—while cloaked in the rhetoric of “fairness” or “reciprocity”—is a distortion of global trade norms. Such acts reflect a zero-sum mentality and hegemonic logic, and will inevitably draw resistance from the international community.

Second, international trade has never benefit only one side. The actions taken by the United States violate fundamental economic principles and market realities, disregard the balanced outcomes achieved through multilateral trade negotiations, and ignore the fact that the United States has long benefited substantially from international trade.

Third, hegemony in trade goes against the trend of world. The United States is exploiting tariffs to subvert the existing international economic and trade order, prioritizing US interests above the global common good and sacrificing the legitimate interests of countries worldwide to serve its own hegemonic agenda. Nevertheless, modern trade system makes it shared responsibility of the international community to forge economic globalization more open, inclusive, universally beneficial and balanced.

As China, we don't make trouble, but we have no fear of trouble. Pressure and threats are not the right way to deal with China. China has taken and will continue to take resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests.

As the world's second-largest economy and second-largest consumer market for goods, China will always stay on the right direction of the times, and open its doors wider to the outside world, no matter how the international situation changes.

As president Xi pointed out at his meeting with senior representatives of the international business community recently, China will continue to open up to the world at a high level, steadily expand its institutional opening-up in rules, regulations, management and standards, implement high-level trade and investment liberalization and facilitation policies, and foster a market-oriented, law-based and internationalized first-class business environment, to share its development opportunities with the world, and achieve mutual benefits and win-win results.

Development is a universal right for all countries, not the exclusive privilege of a few. International affairs should be discussed and handled collectively, and the future and destiny of the world should be in the hands of all nations.

China’s commitment to openness and common development is fully reflected in its growing cooperation with Africa. Following the last year’s Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), a number of cooperation projects between China and Uganda have been carried out under the guidance of the Ten Partnership Actions, which cover infrastructure, agriculture, industrial promotion, public health, education, green and digital development, etc.. These projects have remarkably improved the welfare of the people and accelerated Uganda’s national development. It is worth special mentioning at this particular moment that China has granted zero-tariff treatment for 100% taxable items from all least developed countries with diplomatic relations with China, aiming at facilitate free trades and create more opportunities for African development, so as to help fulfilling the 2063 Agenda.

There are no winners in trade wars or tariff wars, and protectionism leads to a dead end. Guided by the Chinese path to modernization and committed to high-quality development, China continuously offers stability, continuity, and confidence to a volatile world economy, remains a vital engine of global recovery and a source of shared opportunities.

China stands ready to work with all nations that uphold fairness, justice, and development. Let us join hands to safeguard the true multilateralism and free trade.