Protectionism 'doomed to failure': China's Xi says in swipe at US

Protectionist actions are short-sighted and doomed to fail, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Saturday ahead of an APEC summit at which US-China trade tensions are likely to take centre stage.

In a major speech, Xi also stressed that there would be no winners from a trade war or a new cold war amid increasing rivalry between the world's top two economies.

"Attempts to erect barriers and cut close economic ties work against the laws of economics and the trends of history. This is a short-sighted approach and it is doomed to failure," Xi told business leaders on the sidelines of the summit.

"We should say no to protectionism and unilateralism," Xi said, in a veiled swipe at the "America First" policies of Donald Trump's administration.

APEC members the US and China have become embroiled in a trade war that experts warn could be catastrophic for the global economy, with the world's top two powers going head to head.

The pair have imposed tariffs worth billions of dollars of each other's goods and there is little sign of an immediate easing in tensions, with both sides threatening to step up action if necessary.

Xi said the world should "uphold the WTO-centred multilateral trading system, make economic globalisation more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all".

With concerns growing that rivalry between the US and China could escalate, Xi warned against going down that road.

"History has shown that confrontation -- whether in the form of a cold war, hot war or trade war -- will produce no winners," he said.

"We believe that there exist no issues that countries cannot resolve through consultation," said the Chinese leader, as long as negotiations take place in a spirit of "equality" and "mutual understanding."