The international community must take concrete steps to preserve a fair and inclusive multilateral trading system, says the top envoy of Rwanda to China, while warning that rising protectionism and tariff barriers risk destroying global shared growth.

Ambassador James Kimonyo emphasized the importance of free trade and upholding international fairness and justice in a recent interview with China Daily.

"No nation is viable without other nations, even if it is economically powerful and highly developed," he said. "We are all interdependent. So, for us to achieve common growth we need to establish a trading system that enables all nations to collaborate and transact fairly."

Healthy competition is not the enemy, but unfair competition is, he said.

"Nobody is saying competition is a bad thing. What we are saying is: Can we have a fair competition? The current challenges — such as rising tariffs and protectionist measures — threaten the foundation of multilateralism."

The ambassador called on global forums such as the G20, the African Union and BRICS to place fair trade at the center of their discussions.

As the world is interconnected more than ever, "the digital era has significantly changed things: online e-commerce and cross-border trading systems are on the rise", he said, adding that the status quo must be addressed now.

"The global trading system should be such that all countries benefit, and transparency is very critical," he said, citing Rwanda's experience with the United States as an example of policy friction.

"We decided not to import used clothes because we wanted to build our domestic manufacturing capabilities and provide decent garments to our people. Then the US decided to punish us because we were not importing used clothes from the US.

"I still feel that was unfair. What we were doing was not to stop imports, but to build our industry."

On the tariff issue, Kimonyo said major economies must engage in constructive dialogue to understand the effects on both themselves and the rest of the world.

He commended continuing talks between China and the European Union. "Diplomatic responsibility must guide these processes," he said.

"We hope there will be a compromise on how the tariff issue is handled, to ensure the global trading system and international trade are not adversely affected," he said.

"We especially hope powerful nations and big economies will weigh the pros and cons of these policies."