China’s Xi Jinping urges countries to ‘stand united’ in face of global trade war

President Xi Jinping has called for countries to stand together to promote global peace and stability, stressing that “there were no winners in tariff wars”, in a veiled reference to the US.

In his first public remarks since US-China trade talks at the weekend, Xi told leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean that “bullying or hegemonism only leads to self-isolation”.

Xi was speaking at the opening of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-Celac forum – in Beijing on Tuesday. Celac is a grouping of the Caribbean Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

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“The world is undergoing a century of rapid change, with multiple risks compounding one another. Only through solidarity and cooperation can countries maintain world peace and stability,” he said.

Xi said that China and countries from Latin America and Caribbean were important members of the Global South, adding that fairness and justice were their shared pursuits.

Countries should stand united in the face of rising geopolitical tensions and bloc confrontations and the “surging undercurrents of unilateralism and protectionism”, he said.

Xi announced five programmes that will involved China working with Latin American and Caribbean countries over the next three years. They included enhancing coordination on international affairs, deepening trade and cooperation through the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

“We will work with [Latin American and Caribbean] countries to firmly safeguard the international system… and to speak with one voice in international and regional affairs,” he said.

South China Morning Post