Moscow stands firmly against trade wars and “fighting without rules” in international commerce, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

There are “genuine trade wars” going on all across the world, Putin told the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, adding that restoring trust is essential among all countries.

Unfortunately, [some nations] are fighting without rules, [they] intimidate and eliminate competitors through non-market means.

It is crucial to “find the way out of this situation” and “establish rules of fair economic cooperation,” the Russian president said. “At the very least, social and humanitarian issues should be exempt from trade and economic restrictions, namely essential goods, medicine and medical equipment,” he added.

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Just two days ago, Putin addressed trade wars again, saying that while Russia keeps away from interfering in economic disputes of others, “our sympathy is with our strategic partners.”

Both comments came amid the ongoing standoff between the US and China. Earlier, President Donald Trump slapped tariffs on Chinese goods, sparking a trade war. China responded in kind, but has repeatedly stressed that it stands for a mutually beneficial trade agreement and rejects economic warfare.

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