President Xi defends free trade in speech at Davos

Chinese President Xi Jinping has offered a vigorous defence of globalisation and free trade in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Comparing protectionism with “locking oneself in a dark room” to avoid danger, but at the same time depriving the room of “light and air”, he cautioned other countries against pursuing their […]

Chinese President Xi Jinping has offered a vigorous defence of globalisation and free trade in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Comparing protectionism with “locking oneself in a dark room” to avoid danger, but at the same time depriving the room of “light and air”, he cautioned other countries against pursuing their own interests at the expense of others on Tuesday.
Xi did not mention US President-elect Donald Trump in his speech of nearly an hour but many of the messages he sent seemed directed at Trump, who campaigned for the White House on pledges to protect US industries from foreign competition and levy new tariffs on goods from China and Mexico.
“No one will emerge as a winner in a trade war,” Xi told the forum in the Swiss Alps.
He said economic globalisation has become a “Pandora’s Box” for many, but that it was not the cause of many global problems.