BANGKOK (AP) – China’s XI was making excuses for free trade as he visited Southeast Asia this week, using China as a source of “stability and certainty.”
On Monday, Vietnamese President Luong Cuong welcomed him to Hanoi with the Grand and Ceremony. He pays homage to Ho Chi Minh, founder of the Vietnamese Communist Party, who traveled to Malaysia on Tuesday for a three-day visit before visiting his mausoleum ahead of a tour in Cambodia.
In Hanoi, Xi Jinping met with Lam, the secretary-general of the Communist Party of Vietnam. He said that the two countries “bring valuable stability and certainty in the world” in a “turbulent world.”
He added: “As beneficiaries of economic globalization, both China and Vietnam should strengthen their strategic determination to jointly oppose unilateral bullying, maintain the global free trade system, and maintain global industry and supply chain stability.”
China and Vietnam have signed a series of memorandums on supply chain cooperation and joint railway projects, and Xi Jinping also promised that Vietnam’s agricultural exports provide China with greater access, although there are few details on the agreement.
U.S. President Donald Trump complained about the meeting, which comes days after his tariffs escalated global markets and caused governments around the world to scramble. Trump responded to the meeting on Monday, saying China and Vietnam were working to “figure how we mess up the United States of America.”
In Malaysia, XI is expected to discuss a free trade agreement between China and the Southeast Asian 10-person association, as Malaysia is the chairman of the association this year. Xi Jinping will meet with Sultan King Ibrahim on Wednesday morning, and later in the day Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn told Chinese state media that the agreement would eliminate many tariffs between China and its members. “In many cases, we will lower more tariffs to zero and then expand to all areas,” he said in an interview with state broadcaster English channel CGTN.
Anwar called China a “real friend” during Li Qiang’s visit in June, and has visited China three times since he came to power in November 2022.
China’s claims on the South China Sea are a point of debate with Vietnam and Malaysia. Anwar vowed last September that Malaysia would not succumb to China’s demands to stop its oil and gas exploration in oil-rich marine areas in the South China Sea as these activities are within the country’s waters.
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AP writer Eileen NG contributed to this report in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
