IMF official: China actively maintains rules based multilateral trading system

During the 2026 autumn meeting of the IMF and World Bank Group held in Bangkok, Thailand, Herblin said in an interview with reporters that the IMF appreciates China's efforts to actively maintain a rules based multilateral trading system. It is important for countries to address the tensions and differences behind trade disputes. It is of great significance for economies such as China to play a leading role in resolving some differences

Herblin expressed his expectation that China will promote new technologies to benefit other countries through investment. Chinese enterprises' outward direct investment plays an important role in the dissemination and implementation of new technologies, including in the fields of digital technology and green energy.

Herblin also pointed out that geo economic fragmentation and geopolitical tensions may hinder trade, leading to increased trade frictions, inefficiencies, and slower growth. He emphasized that the IMF has always advocated for countries to work hard to address the fundamental issues behind trade tensions and strive towards building an open multilateral trading system.

When it comes to the resilience of the Asian economy, especially the Chinese economy, Herblin said that China has successfully responded to the impact of rising international energy prices and offset the negative impact of the fossil fuel supply crisis by using other energy sources. In addition, the AI industry continues to develop rapidly, generating extensive positive spillover effects on the Asia Pacific region, including China.

On the 15th, IMF released its latest Asia Pacific Economic Outlook report, raising its economic growth forecast for Asia in 2026 to 4.8%, which is 0.4 percentage points higher than the April forecast.

When it comes to the growth prospects of the Asia Pacific region, Herblin believes that although the release of oil inventories and measures such as energy subsidies and tax cuts have eased the impact of energy shocks, these measures are difficult to sustain in the long run. Once the energy shock persists or intensifies, and countries exhaust their inventories, high oil prices will have a greater impact on the economy. Countries should rebuild their buffering capacity to ensure effective measures can be taken in the event of another energy supply shock.