MEXICO CITY, June 26 (Xinhua) -- China's strong economic performance has benefited from its domestic market formed by a strong middle class and its insistence on free trade, according to Mexican experts.
Despite the global financial uncertainty in recent years, China has maintained economic growth rates of more than 6 percent, higher than many developed and emerging countries, said Jose Luis de la Cruz, general director of Mexico's Institute for Industrial Development and Economic Growth (IDIC).
"Those growth rates, especially after three decades of growing at nearly 10 percent, are unprecedented in the modern history of the world," De la Cruz told Xinhua.
"In reality, no developed economy has been able to achieve even half of China's growth rate," he said.
Several structural factors have contributed to China's strong economic performance against the backdrop of trade tensions triggered by the United States, said De la Cruz.
One key factor is the strength of China's domestic market, where consumer demand and investment in infrastructure have jointly injected vitality into the manufacturing industry.
China's focus on promoting technological innovation, is also essential, he said.
According to data provided by the IDIC, China accounts for 25 percent of the value added to global manufacturing, with production oriented towards not only exporting as before, but also the domestic market.
Another crucial factor is China's insistence on free trade.
"China's multilateral agenda allows it to be one of the countries that drive dialogue and more equitable ties, which for China are strategic, because while part of its development is via the domestic market, it still knows that having an open economy for its exports is fundamental," De la Cruz said.
Ignacio Martinez, head of the Trade, Economy and Business Analysis Laboratory at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, echoed De la Cruz's opinion, saying China's strong economic performance is partly due to its openness to free trade.
China advocates multilateralism as it strengthens its domestic "green economy," part of the government's effort to build a more harmonious society, noted Martinez.
"Without a doubt, this has strengthened China's strategy both externally and internally," he said.
