Roundup: French president appeals for inclusive, sustainable globalization

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday appealed for inclusive and sustainable globalization while addressing participants of the ongoing annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The World Economic Forum's annual meeting kicked off Tuesday under the theme of "Creating a shared future in a fractured world."

"Economic growth is not an end in itself, it is a means to an end," said Macron, adding "the search for economic growth has sometimes let us forget what people are prepared to accept in order to achieve it," which is related precisely to today's globalization crisis.

"Globalization must make sense to people and improve their lives -- otherwise we will see a new generation of nationalists and extremists," Macron warned, explaining that the world is fractured due to a less equitable growth.

He said that multilateralism has been undermined, and many people have attacked international institutions such as the World Trade Organization, saying that they have alternative solutions.

"We saw what happened when we adopted a non-cooperation approach between governments," he said.

In terms of trade, Macron said "We are moving towards greater protectionism ... We're undoing what globalization has been able to achieve."

"Unless we are able to cooperate, we will not be able to take advantage of our comparative advantages," he said. "Those who don't want to move forwards should not block the most ambitious in the room."

On climate change, Macron applauded the Paris Agreement signed in December 2015, which aims to limit the global temperature increase to well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing efforts to keep global warming under 1.5 degree Celsius.

However, "we're losing the battle," he said, implying that the commitments made in the Paris Agreement on climate change are not being fully met.

He announced that France will shut down all coal-fired power stations by 2021, to "make France a model in the fight against climate change."

He also acknowledged China's commitment to the Paris Agreement and praised its carbon trading system.

He called for the European Union, which has already opened the world's first carbon trading market, to "go a little bit further and create a floor price for CO2." Enditem