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Next week, Xi Jinping will visit Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia, marking his first overseas trip of the year. The tour aims to strengthen China’s relationship with its far Southeast Asian allies that are impacted by the US trade war.
Xi's visit to Vietnam is scheduled from April 14-15, after which he heads to Malaysia and Cambodia from April 15-18. State-operated Xinhua news agency shared this information on Friday.
The US imposed 145% tariffs on China this year, which has propelled China to strengthen its bilateral ties with nations that face similar sanctions from the US.
Some of the countries subject to Trump's reciprocal tariffs, such as Malaysia, Vietnam, and Cambodia, have tried seeking relief from the US. China remains unaffected amid the rising tensions between Beijing and Washington.
These will be Xi's first visits to Southeast Asian countries as President, which marks a shift in diplomatic approach. Earlier this week, Xi stated that China will expand cooperation with neighboring countries.
Xinhua news agency reported that it was going to publish a detailed article regarding Xi’s visit to Southeast Asia which included pieces on Malaysia and China’s intertwined history with ‘flowing water cannot be severed’ as well as Xi and his ‘ironclad friends’ from Cambodia.
Long before Trump’s tariffs came into effect on April 9, China had already begun negotiations with global blocks one by one to unify against the punitive tariffs. The majority of these tariffs have been placed in a standstill except for those placed on China.
Chinese commerce minister Wang Wentao has held video conferences with the EU and Malaysia, as well as Saudi Arabia and South Africa.
Earlier this week, Premier Li Qiang spoke on the phone with European Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen where they reaffirmed that Europe and China need to strengthen support for a “strong reformed trading system that is free, fair, and based on a level playing field.”
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