China’s Premier Li Qiang warned on Tuesday that the “mutually destructive consequences of tariffs have become increasingly evident” over 2025, during a “1+10 Dialogue” attended by heads of the IMF, World Trade Organization, and World Bank, Reuters reported. Without explicitly naming U.S. President Donald Trump, Li emphasized that more coordinated efforts were needed to reform global economic structures in the face of rising trade barriers.
Li’s remarks come as China’s trade surplus surpassed $1 trillion for the first time in November, according to trade data released Monday. Economists attribute the record surplus in part to U.S. tariffs, which have redirected shipments from China to alternative markets, creating pressures on manufacturing sectors worldwide.
“Since the beginning of the year, the threat of tariffs has loomed over the global economy,” Li told the assembled officials, which also included senior representatives from the OECD and International Labour Organization.
Highlighting the evolving nature of trade, Li pointed to artificial intelligence as an increasingly central factor. He cited China’s DeepSeek model as an example of AI driving the global transformation of traditional industries and fostering growth in emerging sectors such as smart robotics and wearable devices, signaling China’s push to integrate technology into its trade strategy.
