Xi Jinping to visit Southeast Asia as tariff war spurs China to strengthen ties

Foreign ministry confirms the Chinese leader will tour Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia in what will be his first foreign visits of the year

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Motorists pass portraits of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in October 2016. Xi will visit the Southeast Asian country next week as part of a three-nation regional tour. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:35am, 11 Apr 2025Updated: 7:06pm, 11 Apr 2025

President Xi Jinping will set off on a tour of three Southeast Asian countries next week as Beijing urgently seeks to strengthen ties with its neighbours amid an intensifying tariff war with Washington.

Confirming an earlier report by the Post, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday that Xi would visit Vietnam on Monday, followed by Malaysia and Cambodia from Tuesday to Friday.

They will be Xi’s first foreign visits of the year and the trip comes as Beijing faces pressure to strengthen ties with neighbouring countries amid escalating tensions with Washington over US President Donald Trump’s sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs.

While China has vowed to fight Trump’s tariffs, economic ministers from the Asean bloc said on Thursday that they would not impose retaliatory measures and would instead seek to engage in “frank and constructive” dialogue with the US.

China is seeking to present itself as a credible partner for Southeast Asia, where anxieties are growing over Washington’s commitment to the region.

China’s neighbours were a “priority” in its diplomacy, the foreign ministry said, adding that China and Southeast Asia were “good neighbours, good friends and good partners with a shared destiny”.