UN, SINGAPORE CONCERNED ABOUT RISING TRADING TENSIONS

The U.N. secretary-general and the Singaporean foreign minister voiced concerns about global trade tensions and rising protectionism during back-to-back meetings in Beijing on Sunday.

Following remarks from his Chinese counterpart, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan vowed to "double-down'' on free trade and economic liberalization in tandem with China.

"This is a time in the world where the temptation to embark on unilateralism and protectionism is unfortunately rising," Balakrishnan said.

In a separate meeting, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called China "absolutely crucial" in the international system.

"You mentioned reform and opening up — it's so important in a moment when some others have a policy of closing up," Guterres told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

"The solutions for these problems are not to put globalization to question, but to improve globalization. Not isolation or protectionism, but more international cooperation," Guterres said.

The comments came as China and the U.S. exchanged escalating tariff threats in what is already shaping up to be the biggest trade battle for more than a half century.