Photo: Xinhua

The global economy is facing headwinds, and globalization is experiencing setbacks with individual countries going out of their way to erect tariff barriers and pursue decoupling and severing supply chains, which is like putting out a fire with fuel. Such acts will eventually backfire, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a press conference on Sunday on the sidelines of the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress. He answered questions of journalists from home and abroad on China's foreign policy and external relations, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Wang made the remarks when responding to a question raised by a reporter from the People's Daily regarding how China will resist protectionism faced with the emerging deglobalization to better share development opportunities with the world and lead stable global economic growth.

Wang said that as Chinese President Xi Jinping stated, "any attempt to channel the waters in the ocean back into isolated lakes and creeks is simply not possible", and that "pursuing protectionism is like locking oneself in a dark room. While wind and rain may be kept outside, that dark room will also block light and air."

Wang said that a big country should commit to the greater good of the world. Going forward, China will open up even wider. It will not only continue to live up to its responsibility as the "workshop of the world"; it will also strive to play its role as the "global market," Wang noted.