China, EU and ASEAN should 'deepen' trade ties

In the face of persistent trade tensions with the United States, China and other economies should deepen regional economic cooperation and defend the multilateral trade system, said a senior trade expert.

Zhao Zhongxiu, president of the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said in an exclusive interview with China Daily that Washington's current economic policies, featuring sweeping tariff hikes, represent a unilateral attempt to rewrite global trade rules to its own advantage.

"These developments have made it more urgent for major economies — such as the European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China — to strengthen consensus and deepen cooperation, thereby jointly improving agility and resilience of regional and international supply chains," he said.