April 10, 2018 -- Photo taken on April 8, 2018 shows the Boao International Conference Center in Boao, south China's Hainan Province. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)
 
BOAO, Hainan, April 10, 2018 -- In a world troubled by grave uncertainties over growing protectionism, China is highly expected to inject new vitality into globalization and free trade.
 
All eyes are on Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will address the annual conference of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) on Tuesday and is expected to flesh out plans for expanding reform and opening-up.
 
Tariffs have been proposed by the United States on billions of U.S. dollars of Chinese goods and trade tension between the world's two biggest economies has rarely been higher.
 
As the U.S. administration erects "walls," Asian nations, led by China, are seeking to build bridges. At the BFA annual conference, it is hard to find any attendee in favor of protectionism.
 
"Trade is about mutual respect, and nobody can stop globalization," said Jack Ma, founder and chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, as he warned against Trump administration's threatened trade war with China on Monday.