Xi Jinping courts support from BRICS countries as he hits out at Donald Trump over trade war
Chinese President says there will be ‘no winners’ in a trade war and calls for African countries to share benefits of globalisation
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent what appeared to be a direct warning to US President Donald Trump by saying there would be “no winners” in the event of a full-fledged trade war.
In an apparent effort to woo fellow emerging economies, Xi also called for more support for less developed countries, especially in Africa, so that everyone could share the benefit of globalisation.
Speaking on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in South Africa on Wednesday, Xi said: “Unilateralism and protectionism are mounting, dealing a severe blow to multilateralism and the multilateral trading regime,” without mentioning the United States by name.
Xi said developing economies, regardless of their size, should observe international rules as the collective rise of emerging markets and developing countries “is unstoppable and will make global development more balanced”.
He continued: “The current international order is not perfect but as long as it pursues a win-win situation for all countries, it must not be discarded as one pleases.”
Trade tensions are continuing to escalate between the US and China, the world’s two largest economies.
Hours before Xi’s speech, Trump accused Beijing of “viciously” targeting American farmers, after the Trump administration announced an unusual US$12 billion in aid for American farmers hit by tariffs from China.