Putin stands by China, criticises US, in trade, Huawei disputes

Russian President Vladmir Putin shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during a session of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 7. (Reuters)

Aggressive US tactics such as a campaign against Chinese telecoms firm Huawei will lead to trade wars - and possibly real wars - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, in a show of solidarity with China alongside its leader Xi Jinping.

In some of his strongest words on the subject, Putin accused Washington of “unbridled economic egoism”. He singled out US efforts to thwart a Russian gas pipeline to Europe and a US campaign to persuade countries to bar Huawei, the world’s biggest telecoms equipment maker, from supplying network gear.