WASHINGTON - China's approach to global economic affairs shows the country is a defender of a multilateralism and free trade, said an international affairs expert in a leading US newspaper on Wednesday.

Stephen B. Kaplan, a current fellow in the Latin American Program at the Wilson Center and an associate professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, made the remark in an analysis on China's overseas investment approach, which was published in the Washington Post.

Stephen said that China's approach is based on multilateralism, free trade and globalization, which were also valued by the previous US administrations.

He also said shoring up regional public goods like infrastructure may end up benefiting US firms, making trade and investment easier.

As for balancing investment risks, Stephen said China is trying market-based tools and moving incrementally in its international efforts.

The researcher also said China's "approach to global economic affairs appears to be more pragmatic than ideological - and may be likely to defend than upend the liberal economic order."

With the upcoming 40th anniversary of its reform and opening up, China has been rapidly expanding its cross-border lending and investment. Since 2013, much of the lending and investment have been channeled through the Belt and Road Initiative, which was initially scheduled to invest more than $1 trillion in infrastructure in more than 60 Asian, European and African countries.