Recently, the International Conference on New Opportunities for Cooperation and Development along the Belt and Road and Global Trade Watch Seminar were held at Dalian Minzu University, northeast China's Liaoning Province. Addressing the question of how developing and Global South countries can leverage the BRI platform to mitigate the negative impacts of U.S. tariff policies, Anna Rosario Malindog-Uy, vice president of the Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute, a Manila-based think tank, stated in an interview with China News Network that the U.S.-launched trade war represents a protectionist policy that is against the logic of globalization and multilateralism.
She added that, in the long term, the U.S. tariff policies, which drive up inflation and restrict access to goods, will backfire on the U.S. economy and harm consumer interests. She also called for Global South nations to deepen regional economic integration, reduce reliance on the U.S. dollar and Western-dominated financial systems, so as to realize greater economic independence. (Xue Lingqiao)