Speaking at the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting held in Durban, South Africa, on July 18, 2025, which concluded with the signing of a joint statement, Chinese Vice Minister of Finance Liao Min called on all parties to support multilateralism and free trade. Liao emphasized that all parties must respect the laws of economic development, embrace inclusive and beneficial economic globalization, promote greater stability in the complex global economic system, and support the recovery and growth of the world economy.[i]
China, which has emphasized the importance of multilateralism in all areas, has also clearly expressed its determination in the economic field within the framework of the G20 meeting. This approach aims to develop a collective economic structure cooperating with existing international economic institutions. It aims to create a counterbalancing force against Western decision-making mechanisms and to build a multipolar global financial order. In this regard, China has supported quota reforms within the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to enable developing countries to be more effectively represented. Additionally, Beijing has reaffirmed its commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement by announcing its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2020 and pledged to provide “green finance support” to developing countries during the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2021.
China continues to support the G20 formation, as well as platforms that strengthen multilateralism, such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which it established. In this regard, China presents an alternative vision for the global economy and positions itself as a balancing factor. On the other hand, China aims to defend free trade to maintain its strategic position in global supply chains. For China, which accounts for a significant portion of global production and has an export-driven economic model, trade-restricting measures such as customs tariffs and sanctions pose serious economic risks and directly affect the country’s role in global trade. In this context, the continuation of free trade is critical for China’s economic stability and its position in the global system.
In fact, China’s emphasis on free trade and multilateralism is not only economic but also part of a geopolitical stance. Seeking to build an alternative order to Western-centric mechanisms that determine global economic rules and to emerge as a power, China is increasing its cooperation in areas such as infrastructure and financing in Asia, Africa, and Latin America through the BRI, while also supporting the transformation of the existing system through its reform rhetoric in platforms such as the UN and G20.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his speech at the second session of the 19th G20 Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2024, called for the establishment of a fair and equitable global governance system and warned against the politicization of economic issues, the division of the global market, and the adoption of protectionist measures.[ii]
Furthermore, China’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Fu Cong, said in a speech at an event held at the General Assembly on the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, “We must resolutely preserve the international order based on the international system founded on the UN, supported by international law and rules and a multilateral trading system.”[iii]
In particular, China’s frequent calls for multilateralism in platforms such as the G20, the UN, the SCO, and BRICS in recent years reflect the search for an international order based on inclusiveness, equality, and common interests rather than unilateral solutions to global problems. In this regard, positioning the UN as a central actor facilitates China’s outreach to “developing countries” referred to as the “Global South” and enhances its legitimacy in the eyes of these countries.
China’s call for free trade has been shaped in particular by the sanctions and technology embargoes imposed by the United States (US), leading China to defend the open continuation of global trade. Therefore, China has diplomatically adopted the call for “free trade” to ensure that its outward-oriented economy can operate without restrictions, based on equality and mutual benefit with all parties. Furthermore, through platforms such as the China International Import Expo (CIIE), China emphasizes its role as an integrated actor in the global market while conveying the message that an economic structure based on mutual interdependence should be encouraged.
In conclusion, China’s rhetoric on multilateralism and free trade represents not only a means of protecting its economic interests but also a strategy for building an alternative global governance system to the Western-centric international order. In particular, in response to the unilateral economic measures taken by the US, China advocates a global economic order based on mutual interests. In this context, China’s pro-free trade stance is not only ideological but also a product of geo-economic necessity. This is because China’s export-oriented growth model is directly linked to the free flow of international trade. The protection of free trade ensures that China maintains its central role in global production chains and strengthens its influence in the global economic system.
Furthermore, the importance China attaches to multilateralism is not limited to regional platforms developed under its leadership, such as the SCO and the KYG. China also plays an active role in establishing a more balanced and inclusive international system through global structures such as the UN and the G20. With this approach, China has adopted a critical stance toward the existing order and emerged as an actor that believes that the norms of this order need to be reorganized. In the eyes of the Global South countries, this vision offers an alternative model of development and cooperation with developed countries, strengthening China’s diplomatic influence. By redefining free trade and multilateralism, China is offering an alternative to the current Western-centric international liberal order, thereby accelerating the emergence of new global norms and economic centers.
[i] “Chinese vice finance minister calls for multilateralism, free trade at G20 meeting”, Global Times, https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202507/1338726.shtml, (Accessed on: 19.07.2025).
[ii] “Xi calls for a fair, equitable global governance system, warns against protectionism at G20 summit,” Global Times, https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202411/1323376.shtml, (Accessed on: 19.07.2025).
[iii] “Chinese envoy calls for efforts to uphold international system with UN at core” CGTN, https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-06-27/Chinese envoy calls for efforts to uphold international system with UN at core, 1ExnC21z5Kg/p.html, (Accessed on: 19.07.2025).