On April 23, the leading Icelandic newspaper Morgunblaðið carried an article by Ambassador He Rulong entitled “Say No to the ‘Reciprocal Tariffs’ of the U.S.”.

The article maintained that the U.S. “Reciprocal Tariffs” have seriously violated the rules of the World Trade Organization, seriously impacted the multilateral trading system,  further widened the gap between rich and poor countries, and seriously undermined efforts to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations. The China-U.S. economic cooperation and trade has never been a one-way traffic. By building high trade barriers in the name of "national security", it will inevitably backfire and the U.S. will have to bear the consequences.

The article stated that there are no winners in a trade war, and there is no future for protectionism. Multilateralism is the inevitable choice to solve the difficult challenges facing the world, and economic globalization is an unstoppable historical trend. No matter how the international situation changes, China will adhere to true multilateralism, and remain committed to working with all countries, including Iceland, to promote a universally beneficial, inclusive economic globalization, and to building an open economy in the world.