Merkel calls for free trade as EU, Asia meet

German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a rallying call for free trade Friday as EU and Asian leaders met to unite in defiance of US President Donald Trump's "America first" approach.

As disputes fester with Washington, the EU wants to use the 12th summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) to build support for the global trading system, as well as the fight against climate change.

More than 50 senior figures from Asia and Europe gathered in Brussels for the two-day meet, including the prime ministers of China, Japan and Russia.

The leaders are expected to voice their backing for the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which Trump has accused of treating the US unfairly.

The mercurial US president has relentlessly pursued a confrontational trade policy, including imposing harsh tariffs on steel and aluminium, and on USD 250 billion in annual imports from China.

Merkel, the head of Europe's biggest economy which Trump has targeted for criticism, rejected the idea that trade deals must be about winners and losers.

"The summit shows that countries from Europe and Asia, which all want a rule-based world trade, are gathering here to commit themselves to multilateralism and this is an important signal," Merkel told reporters.

"I believe that we can make it clear that the world is about creating win-win situations, making it clear that what benefits one can also benefit the other."