"The international community should oppose protectionism in all manifestations," Hu told a conference on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

Hu avoided any overt references to the frictions, diplomatic and economic, with the U.S. and Japan that cast a pall over the recent meeting of Group of 20 major economies.

He did say, however, that Beijing would seek a better balance in its trade and carry on with "stable and gradual" adjustments in the value of its currency, reiterating his country's usual response to complaints by the U.S. and some other trading partners that the yuan is undervalued, contributing to huge trade imbalances.

Disagreements over the currency issue hindered efforts by the G-20 members to reach agreement on a common strategy to restructure the global economy during the summit that ended Friday in Seoul. Some member countries balked at endorsing President Barack Obama's outright call for Beijing to move faster in its currency adjustments.

Relations between China and its neighbors also have been strained by conflicting territorial claims and by Beijing's increasingly assertive stance on a range of issues.

Deep-rooted tensions with Japan over islands in the East China Sea claimed by both sides flared recently after a Chinese trawler collided with two Japanese coast guard vessels near disputed islands east of Taiwan.