Russian leader Vladimir Putin is firmly backing China in its trade dispute with the US, warning that Donald Trump’s “economic egoism” could plunge the world into war.

Aggressive US tactics such as a campaign against Chinese telecoms firm Huawei will inevitably prompt trade wars, he said, with the possibility of shooting conflicts increasing as tensions between Bweijing and Washington continue to escalate.

In a show of solidarity and China’s on the same platform, Mr Putin uttered some of his strongest criticism of the US to date.

“States which previously promoted free trade with honest and open competition have started speaking the language of trade wars and sanctions, of open economic raiding using arm-twisting and scare tactics, of eliminating competitors using so-called non-market methods,” said Putin.

“Look for example at the situation around Huawei which they are trying not to just squeeze out, but to unceremoniously push out of the global market

“It’s already being called the first technological war of the emerging digital era in some circles.”

Mr Putin also blasted a US campaign to US to thwart a Russian gas pipeline to Europe

His broadside, at an economic forum in St Petersburgi, was a clear show of unity with China at a time when Beijing is locked in a trade war with Washington and Moscow’s own ties with the West are at a post-Cold War low.

The world risked slipping into an era when “general international rules will be exchanged for the laws of administrative and legal mechanisms … which is how the United States is unfortunately behaving, spreading its jurisdiction over the whole world,” added Putin.

“…It’s a path to endless conflicts, trade wars and maybe not just trade wars. Figuratively speaking, it’s a path to battles without rules that pit everyone against everyone else.”

China’s Xi struck a more conciliatory tone, calling for world powers to protect the global multilateral trade system.

Russia has long complained about Western sanctions imposed on it over disputes including its behaviour in Ukraine. Moscow casts the restrictions as an attempt to contain its growth.

Washington has asked countries to reject Huawei technology in the development of new mobile phone networks, arguing that it could be vulnerable to Chinese eavesdropping. Huawei denies its equipment is a security risk.

-with AAP