Xi pledges that China will open up its markets further

Beijing

IN A closely-watched speech delivered in Shanghai, Chinese president Xi Jinping once again cast China as a champion of free trade and pledged to open up the country's markets further.

In his keynote address to business leaders and several heads of state at the first China International Import Expo, he made no specific mention of the trade war with the United States, but pledged that China would continue to promote globalisation and that "inclusion and reciprocity, win-win and mutual benefits are a widening road".