Top China trade official says world in 'turbulence and transformation'

China's vice premier He Lifeng warned on Wednesday the world was undergoing "turbulence and transformation" as he kicked off an expo in Beijing at which Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is also expected to speak.

Beijing is using this week's China International Supply Chain Expo as a forum to boost its image as the global defender of free trade -- in contrast with the tariff chaos sparked by US President Donald Trump.

In a thinly veiled swipe at the US leader in his opening remarks, He said: "some countries are interfering in the market under the pretext of reducing risk, using measures such as imposing tariffs".

"Global changes of a century are accelerating, with multiple risks intertwining and piling up," he said.

"We need to further build a shared consensus on development, firmly oppose the politicisation, ideologisation, and over-securitisation of economic and trade issues, and work together to uphold an open and cooperative international environment."