Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Wednesday said the world cannot return to a state of isolation and that China opposes all forms of unilateralism and protectionism in response to International Monetary Fund (IMF) warning that fragmentation of the global economy and increasing national security restrictions could lead to a 7 percent loss in global GDP.

Whether it is trade wars or technological battles, the underlying objective is to politicize, instrumentalize, and weaponize economic and trade issues. The aim is to secure a monopoly on their own developmental advantages, impede the growth of emerging markets and developing nations, and deny the 7 billion people worldwide their right to pursue a happy life, Wang said.

Wang said that China is willing to work with all parties to promote universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. China firmly opposes deglobalization and overstretching the national security concept, and opposes all forms of unilateralism and protectionism.

The remarks come as the IMF warned that global economic fragmentation could lead to a 7 percent loss in global GDP.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told CNN in an interview aired on Tuesday local time that restrictions related to "national security" are increasing, and geopolitical factors are causing economic divisions worldwide. 

Allowed to continue, this could ultimately reduce Global GDP by 7 percent - roughly equal to the annual output of France and Germany, she said.

"So we are all better off to find ways to reduce frictions, to concentrate on security concerns that are real and meaningful, and not go willy-nilly in fragmenting the world economy. We would end up with a smaller pie," she said.

Wang said that the world cannot return to a state of isolation and cannot be arbitrarily divided. Any practice of seeking selfish gains at the expense of neighbors, any mindset of confrontation between camps, and any arrogance of self-centeredness will not lead to good results.

China will promote equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal rules for all countries, safeguarding the development rights of all countries, and working toward common development and prosperity.

The IMF's report in October 2023 predicted a slowdown in global economic growth from 3.0 percent in 2023 to 2.9 percent in 2024.

A Xinjiang hospital's Key State Lab has signed a deal with the Kazakhstan National Medical Science Center to enhance cooperation on prevention and treatment of high incidence diseases in Central Asia. Additionally, the Xinjiang Medical University Hospital also signed a parallel agreement for surgery and organ transplantation. The signing marks an increased role for China in helping improving the health conditions of Central Asian countries with the support of the China Organ Transplant Development Foundation.

The deal was signed by the Kazakhstan center with The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University and the hospital's Key State Laboratory of Pathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment of High Incidence Diseases in Central Asia, at the 7th China-International Organ Donation Conference and the Belt & Road Symposium on Organ Donation and Transplantation International Cooperation Development in Nanning, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Saturday.

After the signing of the deal, Kazakhstan will send medical personnel to study at the Xinjiang Medical University hospital and Key State Laboratory specifically for research and treatment against high incidence diseases in Central Asia, Wen Hao, head of the Key State Lab of Xinjiang Medical University, told the Global Times on Saturday. The laboratory and the hospital are well-equipped and host a wide range of departments, "thus we can answer almost any technical request from the Kazaks. who are also thrilled about it," Wen said.

Wen said that the Key State Laboratory was opened in 2017. It is actively working with five Central Asian neighboring countries on training, as well as studying and treating major diseases in these areas, such as cervical cancer and esophageal cancer. Additionally, zoonotic cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cerebrovascular diseases are also prevalent and pose the greatest threat to the people's health in Central Asia.

Ever since the Key State Laboratory was established, it has been working to strengthen cooperation with Central Asian countries. Wen noted that China is ahead of neighboring countries in terms of scale, quality, and national standards of medical care, which is one of the reasons these countries are interested in working with China. .

In July of this year, the Xinjiang hospital assisted the Kazakhstan National Medical Science Center in successfully treating a patient with alveolar Echinoccosis by using Exvivo Liver Resection & Autotransplantation (ELRA) for the first time.

Wen stated that in active response to the Belt and Road Initiative, his lab and hospital had dispatched a team of medical experts to Central Asian countries, such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Through medical technology exchanges, hosting bilateral academic forums, and establishing technology promotion and training bases, the hospital aims to continuously deepen and broaden cooperation with these Central Asian countries, seeking to enable people in these countries to access and benefit from high-quality medical resources.

In May of this year, China and five Central Asian countries jointly signed the Xi'an Declaration of the China-Central Asia Summit, which was held in Chinese city of Xi'an. In the declaration, all sides agreed to further deepen health and medical cooperation, promote the construction of traditional Chinese medicine centers, and carry out herbal planting and processing cooperation to create a healthy "Silk Road."

After China has improved its own work on organ donation and transplantation, sharing expertise with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative has also become very important. Aims include pushing forward their development in this regard, and assisting them with the development of local medical systems and technology, Huang Jiefu, chairman of China Human Organ Donation and Transplantation Committee and Chair of COTDF Advisory Board told the Global Times on Saturday.

Wen said that in recent years, countries such as India, South Korea, Japan, and some Western countries, have been trying to exert influence over Central Asia. He mentioned that Abay Baigenzhin, Chairman of the Management Board of Kazakhstan National Medical Science Center, told him that cooperation with Western countries usually involves big promises but little action. However, after enhancing cooperation with China, Kazakhstan appreciated that China not only kept its promises, but also had the ability to implement projects.

Wen also noted that now China is offering preferential policies for medical students from Central Asian countries, which has facilitated medical exchanges between China and the region. "Such cooperation is helpful for people-to-people exchanges between China and those countries; and there is no basis for attacking or smearing efforts to help people cure diseases."

"In the next two years leading up to 2025, we should expect to see more practical cases of collaboration, inspiring stories, and data to support our cooperation in organ transplantation and donation with Central Asian countries. These developments will further bolster our contributions to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of prevalent diseases in Central Asia, as well as the promotion of public health across the region regions," said Wen.