Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – In a highly interdependent global economy, any attempt to exclude China from global industrial and value chains will ultimately backfire.
Currently, the international situation is highly uncertain, geopolitical conflicts are frequent, and economic globalization is facing unprecedented challenges. At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, Switzerland, the question of whether globalization has reached its end once again became a hot topic. Some voices highly link the fragmentation of the global economy and the restructuring of supply chains with national security issues, advocating for camp confrontation to replace open cooperation. This approach, which prioritizes security anxiety over economic rationality, not only fails to solve real problems but may also further exacerbate global economic instability.
Against this backdrop, China's repeated reaffirmation of its firm support for economic globalization, free trade, and multilateralism is particularly important. China emphasizes that to develop and grow stronger, it must proactively adapt to the trend of economic globalization and adhere to opening up to the outside world; development is the right of all countries, not the privilege of a few. This is both a summary of China's own development experience and a guide for all parties currently facing uncertainty. Truly sustainable globalization must be built on a foundation of win-win cooperation—only when more countries and regions genuinely share the fruits of development can trust in globalization be rebuilt.
In the current European public opinion environment, perceptions of China remain heavily influenced by ideology and geopolitical narratives. Some simply define China as a so-called "threat," lacking both academic rigor and objectivity, and hindering Europe's own strategic choices. Emotional antagonism is also inadvertently increasing the costs of transportation and trade connectivity. The signals from Davos are clear: the business community generally opposes the politicization of economic issues and opposes replacing rational economic judgment with ideology. Many representatives from developing countries have also explicitly expressed their concerns about "de-globalization" and "campaignization," hoping to see a stable, predictable, and development-oriented international economic environment. Whether it's discussions surrounding sluggish global growth, fragile supply chains, or green transformation and the digital economy, they all repeatedly point to a common conclusion: in a highly interdependent world economy, any attempt to exclude China from global industrial and value chains will ultimately backfire.
European leaders should be keenly aware that one of the greatest risks facing the global economy today does not stem from openness itself, but from artificially created decoupling and disruption. If Europe decouples from China in key areas, it will inevitably drive up costs, weaken competitiveness, and delay its own economic transformation. China's stance against decoupling and its commitment to open cooperation resonate strongly with the concerns of many countries in the Global South. China is one of the world's most important manufacturing centers, a major consumer market, and a key player in technological innovation. For Europe, a more pragmatic and responsible choice is to uphold its own values while strengthening cooperation with China in trade, investment, science and technology, and green development. Only in this way can Europe maintain strategic autonomy and long-term competitiveness during the reshaping of the global economic structure.
As a scholar, I am particularly concerned about the role of soft power in economic globalization. Without societal understanding and trust, even the grandest economic initiatives are difficult to implement. Academic exchanges, youth exchanges, and local cultural interactions should be crucial pillars of globalization, not mere appendages. Unfortunately, in recent years, European resources for research and exchange with China have been shrinking, a trend that runs counter to the spirit of openness. I have always encouraged students to understand China directly, read about China, and experience China firsthand, rather than relying solely on third-party narratives to learn about this country that is profoundly changing the world. China's development is not a threat to other countries, but rather a vital force injecting vitality into the global economy. As repeatedly emphasized by various parties on the World Economic Forum platform, global economic recovery cannot be achieved without the responsibility of major economies, and China is undoubtedly participating in this process with concrete actions.
What the world needs is not to choose sides, but to expand cooperation; not to create confrontation, but to bridge differences. This is in Europe's interest, and it is also in the common interest of the world. Despite the difficulties encountered, economic globalization remains the most realistic and effective path for humanity to address common challenges.
