Chinese President Xi Jinping promoted the idea of an “Asian family” and called for regional unity during a tour of Southeast Asia, in an apparent effort to counter US pressure on nations to limit trade ties with Beijing.
Xi landed in Phnom Penh on Thursday, kicking off the final leg of his three-nation tour as the Trump administration prepares to seek trade partners’ cooperation in encircling Beijing. The Chinese leader emphasized solidarity in a speech at a state dinner in Malaysia a day earlier, when the two nations signed wide-ranging deals in a sign of deepening economic ties.
“China and Malaysia will stand with countries in the region to combat the undercurrents of geopolitical and bloc-based confrontation,” Xi said in the Malaysian administrative capital of Putrajaya. “Together we will safeguard the bright prospects of our Asian family.”
This diplomatic push was reinforced by a joint statement released Thursday, in which China and Malaysia agreed to enhance collaboration on industry, supply chains, data and talent. They committed to implementing their Five-Year Programme for Economic and Trade Cooperation and building a “high-level strategic Malaysia-China community.”
In another thinly-veiled swipe at the US, the Chinese leader reiterated his call to fight unilateralism in an article published Thursday in Cambodian media ahead of his arrival in the capital.
“Together we must stand against hegemonism, power politics,” he wrote, adding that the two neighbors should “resolutely oppose any attempts by external forces to interfere in our internal affairs, sow discord.”
Xi’s comments came as Beijing faces an escalating trade war with the US. Bloomberg News has reported that Washington is preparing to ask countries to take steps to limit China’s manufacturing might, including imposing so-called secondary tariffs on Chinese goods, in exchange for tariff concessions.
Both China and the US appear to be digging in their heels after Trump hiked levies on Chinese goods to as high as 145% and Beijing retaliated with some 125% tariffs on US imports.
Xi’s made Southeast Asia the destination of his first overseas trip of the year, as he seeks to keep the countries from cutting deals with the US at the expense of his nation. Despite a 90-day reprieve, Trump’s threats of drastic tariff hikes have forced many governments in the region to walk an increasingly fine line between the two powers.
In a show of Xi’s early diplomatic success, China’s Foreign Ministry published a readout suggesting he has the full backing of Malaysia. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim praised Xi as an “extraordinary leader” and expressed opposition to independence for Taiwan, the self-ruled democracy claimed by Beijing.
Anwar also said members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations “will not support any unilateral trade tariffs,” as his nation holds the rotating chairmanship of the bloc, according to the Chinese statement.
Xi’s regional tour began in Vietnam on Monday, when Vietnamese leaders gave Xi a warm welcome and signed 45 deals to deepen economic ties.
Hanoi released a joint statement saying the two sides “oppose unilateralism” and any actions that endanger regional peace and stability — largely keeping to language it has used in the past.
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