China will continue to support free trade, President Xi Jinping said Tuesday when meeting with International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde at the Boao Forum for Asia annual conference.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde in Boao, south China's Hainan Province, April 10, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]

China is a responsible nation, and a constructor of and contributor to the current international system, the president said.

"We will continue to safeguard the international order and rules, and support free trade and the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment," Xi said.

"The international community should abandon the cold-war mentality and advocate working together to build a community with a shared future for mankind," he said.