Xi against protectionism in pro-globalisation talk at Davos

(ANSA) - Davos, January 17 - Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke in favor of globalisation and warned against protectionism and trade wars in an opening address at the Davos World Economic Forum on Tuesday, the first time the Chinese head of state has attended the event.
    He also urged signatories of the Paris climate agreement to maintain their commitment and said that Chinese economic progress is beneficial to both China and the world.
    "There's no point blaming economic globalisation for the world's problems, as that is simply not the case," he said, citing as examples the crisis of refugees from North Africa and the Middle East as well as the global financial crisis that hit 10 years ago.
    "It's true that globalisation has created new problems, but this is no justification to write off economic globalisation altogether," he said, in an apparent reference to anti-globalisation forces that have carried US President-elect Donald Trump to power.
    "Whether you like it or not, the global economy is the big ocean that you can't escape from".
    "We must say no to protectionism. Pursuing protectionism is like locking oneself in a dark room: while wind and rain may be kept outside, so are light and air," he said.
    "No one will emerge as the winner in a trade war".
    President Xi said China's economic development is a "blessing both for China and for the world" and also called it an "opportunity for the world".
    He said that although the international industrial and commercial landscapes have completely changed, "the rules of global business haven't kept pace with these developments".
    "There's a fragmentation of the rules," he said.
    China has been mounting an offensive at the World Trade Organisation to obtain market economy status, which would protect it from tariffs.
    He also urged signatories of the Paris climate agreement to honour their commitments.
    "The Paris climate deal is a hard won agreement - all signatories should stick to it rather than walk away," he said, calling it a "responsibility that we must assume for future generations".