Chinese president Xi Jinping set out on Monday 14 April on his first abroad journey this year. The destination is Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia. Going to these 3 Xi countries, he expresses his willingness to strengthen economical relations with the South-East Asian countries in times of turbulence caused by subsequent US administration activities.
Xi visited Vietnam on Monday and Tuesday, then went to Malaysia and Cambodia. His journey will end on Friday, as reported by the Chinese Ministry of abroad Affairs. The journey takes place after the United States has increased customs duties on goods imported from the countries of the region. Beijing in retaliation imposed duties on all American goods. Which seems to have had an unexpected effect. Americans, it's past Friday. have withdrawn from part of the duties announced in “Liberation Day“. Meanwhile, China has not deviated from its fresh decisions, covering not only the increase of customs duties on all American goods up to 125%, but, among another things, stopped imports of US LNG as well as planned purchases of Boeing passenger aircraft.
The 3 countries that visit Xi are the aim of Trump's "reciprocal tariff" policy. Its duties of 49% included goods from Cambodia, 46% from Vietnam and 24% from Malaysia. On Wednesday, the U.S. president unexpectedly announced a 90-day tariff break, but for those covering China (not cancelled on past Friday). Base duties of 10% stay for all countries.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the government intends to conclude agreements with trading partners within the next 3 months before turning to China “as a group”. Since the Trump administration is trying to isolate China, Xi's travel rate is advanced due to the fact that superpowers fight for influence in the ASEAN block. This block, founded in 1967, includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, as well as Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. Last year ASEAN was China's largest trading partner, followed by the European Union and the United States.
Xi presided over a high-level gathering on Wednesday to discuss "neighborhood diplomacy" aimed at an even stronger relation erstwhile the planet is going through what state Xinhua media called "critical phase", referring to the commercial war.
Stephen Olson, a erstwhile US trade negotiator working at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, believes that Xi's visit is simply a clever play by the Chinese authorities. Trump seems determined to blow up global trade relations, China has an excellent chance to position itself as a leader and defender of principle-based trade and present the US as a dishonest nation. According to Olson, 3rd countries will begin to see China as a much more reliable trading partner, especially compared to the US. All points to the fact that Trump-owned customs operations can strengthen China's global position.
Vietnam and Cambodia are countries bordering China, having very strong economical links with them, but besides quite a few grievances in the close and distant past. Malaysia, in turn, is the rotating president of ASEAN this year. 10 countries block.
The People's Journal, an organ of the Communist organization of China, wrote in a comment of 6 April that emerging markets, including those in Southeast Asia, are a "great potential" for economical and trade cooperation in the face of an expanding trade conflict. According to the People's Journal, China's share of shipments to Southeast Asia increased to 16.4% in 2024 from 12.8% in 2018, which underlines the importance of this region for Chinese trade, peculiarly under United States pressure.
Cambodia and Vietnam were covered by any of the highest “reciprocal customs”. In this situation, both countries are pushing Beijing to increase trade flows so that China increases imports from both its neighbours. This is an additional origin that can foster an even greater rapprochement between China, Vietnam and Cambodia
Leszek B. Glass
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