DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday trumpeted the need for free trade and urged the world to "say no to protectionism," delivering a strong rebuke to isolationist tendencies that helped fuel Donald Trump's presidential election victory. Focusing on the "double-edged" impact of economic globalization in a speech that alluded variously to Charles Dickens, Greek mythology and Chinese proverbs, the leader of the world's No. 2 economy stressed the need for stability, new vision and perspective that has left many citizens disenfranchised and worried about the future. Xi made no direct reference to Trump, but his vocal support for free trade and bashing of protectionism could appear rich to other Western countries who have grumbled about commercial restrictions in China that clash with the public assertions from officials. Foreign companies complain Beijing is reducing access to its markets for electric cars, computer security technology and other promising fields or pressing them to give know-how to potential Chinese competitors. The visit by Xi caps the largest-ever Chinese delegation to Davos, including over 100 officials and scores of business executives and embodying a tectonic shift at an event that started nearly a half-century ago among Europeans and Americans. The bumpy run-up to the Trump administration — Trump's poll numbers are low for an incoming president — has given the Chinese leader a convenient opportunity to advance his goal of giving his country a more assertive leadership role on the world stage.
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