Opinion | Global supply chain has not really been "broken" due to political differences

China Youth Daily | 2025-07-25 00:10

The third China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) recently concluded in Beijing, further reinforcing its role as a vital platform for promoting resilient, diverse and cooperative global supply chains. There was a promising increase in international collaborations.

Participants from the U.S. and the EU accounted for 50 percent of all overseas attendees. The number of U.S. exhibitors increased by 15 percent compared to last year, making them the largest group of overseas exhibitors. Of these, 60 percent are Fortune Global 500 companies. Additionally, the U.S. chip giant Nvidia made its debut at the expo by setting up an exhibition.

In an interview with China Youth Daily, Cai Tongjuan, Director of the Macro Research Department and Research Fellow of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies (RDCY), said that the Chinese and American economies are highly complementary and their interests are deeply intertwined. Enterprises' rational choices further highlight that the global supply chain has not really been "broken" due to political differences.

The U.S. state of Maryland organized local companies to come to Beijing to participate in the third China International Supply Chain Expo and set up a special booth. Photo by Ma Ziqian

Despite ongoing rhetoric about "decoupling and chain breaking", the third CISCE went ahead as planned, demonstrating China's commitment to promoting global industrial and supply chain cooperation. As a major global manufacturing centre and trading nation, China has used this platform to strengthen its connectivity with the rest of the world. This indicates that China is not moving towards an "internal circulation" model, but rather is actively promoting a more stable, resilient and sustainable global supply chain system.

This is positive news for the world economy, which is currently experiencing geopolitical tensions and rising protectionism, said Cai.

Despite frictions in Sino-U.S. relations, Cai added that American enterprises still value the Chinese market and supply chain status. The pursuit of markets and efficiency at an enterprise level often transcends political games, demonstrating that "decoupling" is more of a political slogan than a mainstream market choice. Therefore, this year's CISCE demonstrates not only China's commitment to high-level opening up, but also injects the power of cooperation and trust into the world economy. This is a positive signal for the stable development of the global economy. (By Ma Ziqian/China Youth Daily)

(editor:Ma Ziqian)