Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on Southeast Asian countries to join him in resisting US protectionism and unilateralism, as part of his effort to present Beijing as a more reliable ally and trading partner.
Xi’s strategy aims to expand China’s friends and trading partners in the region to better insulate itself against US tariffs. The move is also part of China’s efforts to unseat the US as the preeminent superpower in the region and establish a world order more in line with Beijing’s interests.
The three countries that got a temporary reprieve from Trump’s worst tariffs last week, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia, are among those Xi has been courting. Chinese exporters have rushed to send orders out before US tariffs took effect, resulting in China’s largest-ever trade surplus of $273 billion during the first quarter.
However, analysts say that Southeast Asian countries have long been worried about cheap Chinese goods flooding their markets. While Xi gave a high-level speech on the importance of China’s relations with neighboring countries, experts warn that Beijing will face headwinds in its efforts to counter US protectionism.
The trade war between China and the US has had a significant impact on global markets, threatening to undo decades of globalization. China’s outreach to other Asian countries may hasten this division, as it counters Washington’s latest levies with higher tariffs on all US goods.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/04/14/china-vietnam-trade-war-xi-jinping