APEC Photo: CFP

A Chinese official has called for APEC members to work together to maintain the stability of the international trade order and practice true multilateralism amid global economic turmoil.

The remarks were made by Li Chenggang, China's international trade representative with the Ministry of Commerce and vice minister of commerce, at the 31st Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting, held from Thursday to Friday at South Korea's Jeju Island.

Li said that recently some economy has implemented the so-called reciprocal tariffs and provoked global trade frictions, which have seriously violated WTO rules, impacted the multilateral trading system and caused global economic turmoil. Many trading partners have expressed strong dissatisfaction and clear opposition. 

APEC members should work together to maintain the stability of the international economic and trade order, practice true multilateralism, resolutely oppose unilateralism and protectionism, objectively view and properly handle the global trade disorder caused by unilateral tariff measures and ensure the smooth operation of global trade under the WTO framework, Li said. 

The 21-member bloc held its annual session for trade representatives just days after high-stakes talks between US and Chinese trade envoys in Geneva, Switzerland, which aimed to ease trade tensions.

APEC economies have been seeing a sharper downturn in growth than the rest of the world, recently. Regional GDP growth is projected to slow significantly to 2.6-2.7 percent in 2025-26, down from 3.6 percent in 2024, and lower than the 3.1-3.3 percent forecast in the March 2025 APEC Regional Trends Analysis. The data points to the economic fallout of rising trade tensions and heightened uncertainty.

As well as rising policy uncertainties and escalating trade tensions, the APEC region is also facing a shift in global supply chains. External demand is weakening, and the rise in protectionist measures is exacerbating trade vulnerabilities, the report said. 

US' imposition of tariffs is having a far-reaching impact on APEC members, particularly in manufacturing and labor-intensive industries, Chen Hong, executive director of the Asia Pacific Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Friday. 

A report released in November 2024 by Xinhua Institute, a think tank affiliated with the Xinhua News Agency, showed that in 2023, the APEC's 21 member economies contributed over 60 percent of global GDP. Over the past 35 years, APEC has fueled rapid regional development, establishing the Asia-Pacific region as a growth center for the global economy, a stabilizing force and hub of cooperation.

Reuters reported that the sweeping tariffs imposed by the US government have targeted more than half of the APEC member countries, where regional average tariff rates had previously fallen to 5.3 percent by 2021, down from 17 percent in 1989, when the non-binding economic forum was established. This period saw merchandise trade increase more than nine-fold.

China's proposition at the meeting about upholding multilateralism and opposing unilateral taxation and economic coercion represents the consensus among many countries, Li Yong, a senior research fellow at the China Association of International Trade, told the Global Times on Friday.

Currently, almost no country can "escape" the impact of US unilateralism. The US has undermined global trade rules by unilaterally imposing tariffs and exerting economic pressure, the expert said. 

These policies have also undermined the global value chain. Asia-Pacific is the world's most economically active region, but its development momentum has been significantly affected, based on recent forecast data. Unilateral tariff policies not only affect trade, but also weaken the potential for long-term development of the regional economy, Li Yong added. 

Faced with current challenges, regional countries will show a stronger "desire for unity," the expert said, adding that multilateralism is not only an ideal, but also a practical requirement, and the basis for restoring efficient industrial chain cooperation. 

"From tariff hikes and retaliatory measures to the suspension of trade facilitation procedures and the proliferation of non-tariff barriers, we are witnessing an environment that is not conducive to trade," CNBC quoted Carlos Kuriyama, director of the APEC Policy Support Unit, as saying.

The World Economic Situation and Prospects report for mid-2025 released by the UN on Thursday says that higher tariffs and trade policy uncertainty have weakened the global economic outlook for 2025, posing multiple challenges to the world, especially developing economies, including China. Global economic growth is projected to slow to 2.4 percent and global trade growth to 1.6 percent. 

Multilateralism and free trade are now facing severe challenges, but the facts prove that economic globalization is the clear historical trend, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, said on Friday. Open cooperation is what the world wants, and multilateralism is the right choice, Lin added. 

Under the current situation, it's all the more important for all parties to defend the multilateral trading system and international economic and trade rules, as well as defending the international environment for open cooperation, and realizing lasting development and shared prosperity, Lin added.