Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning

China has never pulled away the ladder for any country's development and is instead committed to putting up ladders, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday, responding to recent hype by some foreign media that China cares only about its own development at the expense of other Global South countries.

Through high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road, China has helped partner countries close their infrastructure gaps, Mao said at a regular press briefing. It supplies cost-effective industrial equipment and technology products and shares experience and know-how, 

China has also given ground of its own accord through policies such as zero-tariff treatment and the "Export to China" initiative, sharing market opportunities and helping Global South countries integrate better into global industrial and supply chains to enhance development resilience, according to Mao.

"A humane person helps others establish what he himself wishes to establish and achieve what he himself wishes to achieve is the value that underpins China's cooperation with the world, and the so-called ladder-pulling narrative finds no market in the Global South," Mao said. China will remain a partner the Global South can trust and will help the Global South thrive through its own development, she added.

Global Times