Yes,trade wars can lead toworld wars.
Firstly, many wars in history were, in fact, started by trade wars. Trade wars check many of the boxes that are required for a world war such as:
A war being large-scale
Some type of battlefield (although a battlefield could traditionally take place on actual land, the battlefield can be a social, health, or economic condition)
Each side has strongholds on different sectors of the globe (i.e. there are a number of countries supporting one side and the other or the side has a large influence over a geographical area)
Many experts believe that a possible World War could occur with the United States and China if these above conditions are met iftensions were toworsen.