Timing could not be better for Chinese President Xi Jinping, since he completes a tour of three countries in Southeast Asia in the middle of the growing tariff pressure of US President Donald Trump.
“It is a very clever move,” said Gil Lan, Associate Professor at Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University.
The five-day visit of XI in Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia was an attempt to support allies and support within the region as a stable, reliable partner after Trump had announced curls around the world at the beginning of this month-especially in the locations in Southeast Asia, which was particularly Chinese guides were.
“It is a great opportunity for China to position itself at the head of the world trade order. And that was an opportunity that the states granted him,” said LAN.
The Chinese leader last visited Cambodia nine years ago and Malaysia 12 years ago.
On April 2, Trump terminated 46 percent “mutual” tariffs in Vietnam, 24 percent in Malaysia and 49 percent on Cambodia’s objection.
China, the only runaway, is exposed to 145 percent tariffs from the United States.
Maintaining the global free trade system
In Hanoi, XI was greeted with a special ceremony by Vietnamese President Luong Cuong on Monday, his first stop. Accordingly A statement by China’s Ministry of Foreign AffairsThe Chinese president said that the two countries “would strengthen strategic determination, together mutual bullying laws, maintain the global free trade system and keep the global industrial and supply chains stable”.
“He received the highest VIP greeting that you can afford to everyone,” said Ben Bland, director of the Asian-Pacific program at Chatham House, a Think tank based in London.
For Bland, timing is “quite practical” because the USA “looks very one -sided, compulsive”.
China and Vietnam expressed their support for the maintenance of a multilateral trade regime that focuses on the world trade organization, in a joint explanation that was published at the end of a two -day visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“Xi Jinping can represent a face of China as reliable, reliable and openly and honest in his dialogue with his partners, despite his Own track record of compulsory behavior Ironically towards Southeast Asia, “he said.
At his second station, XI and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, this year’s chairman of the Association of the Southeast Asian nations (Asean) was expected to report a free trade agreement between China and the group of 10.
Xi’s last station was Cambodia, who arrived in Phnom Penh on Thursday on the 50th anniversary of April 17, 1975 in Phnom Penh a warm welcome of the head of the state of King Norodom Sihamoni.
XI also met Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. In addition to the discussions about strengthening bilateral ties and regional and international topics, it was expected that several agreements on cooperation in various sectors were signed.
On Monday, Trump answered a question about the Southeast Asian tour of XI in the Oval Office, during a bilateral meeting with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele.
“This is a nice meeting. We meet how to find out: ‘How do we kidnap the United States of America?'” He said.
Trade and infrastructure
China’s diplomacy in Southeast Asia has been lasting for decades. It was Asean’s largest trading partner Chinese trade has been rated in the USA with $ 998 billion in the United States since 2009 and 2024.
In order to get a better feeling for the growing economic ties, the trade between Asean and China has more than doubled between 2010 and 2019 and has quadrupled since the establishment of the Asean-China trade in goods agreements in 2005.
However, it is not just the recent visit to XI or the trade relationships that signal a strengthening of the relationship in the region. Foreign direct investments are also an indicator for the LAN of Toronto Metropolitan University.
In the past decade, China spent billions of dollars for the building infrastructure projects of billions of dollars as part of its belt and street initiative, including high-speed rails between Thailand and China, motorways and roads in Cambodia as well as a railway and power plant in Vietnam.
“What (Southeast Asian countries) probably want to do now, China assure that they are still acting with China and still appearing partners with China, but not on the radar to antagonize the President of the United States,” said LAN.
Economic and territorial disputes
However, what seems to be a proclamation of a stronger block in the Asian-Pacific area is both economically and geopolitically not without brittle elements.
The New York Council for Foreign Relations, a thinking factory based in September, referred to China’s “assertiveness” in September in his sovereignty claims on South Chinese sea and the unused oil and natural gas, which with its neighbors, especially the Philippines, increase excitement.
Beijing has also used economic compulsion in countries, such as
Canada and the USA are involved in these waters. In August, the Canadian National Defense Minister Bill Blair met with his Australian counterpart, deputy prime minister and defense minister Richard Markes to discuss the strengthening of their defense cooperation in the region, presumably to contain China.
Conflicts in the South China Sea could possibly disturb 5.5 trillion dollars in the trade.
These clashes will not evaporate overnight, said Bland from Chatham House.
“It is quite possible to distrust both large powers and on the edge to improve their relationships with both large powers at the same time,” he said and referred to China and the USA
At the same time, China also throws other neighbors like Japan and South Korea. In March, the top diplomats from the three countries have held their first business meeting for five years.
Nevertheless, there is still routine skirmishes in the East China Sea of claims about what China calls the Senkaku Islands as the Diaoyu Islands and Japan.
Despite a continuing feeling of distrust, Donald Trump’s threat and unpredictability could very well inspire the countries to work closer together.
“In the end you may see a stronger Asia,” said Lan. “However, it is not necessarily the world that turns to in Asia. It is the world that is rejected by the United States.”
