BANGKOK: As he tours Southeast Asia this year, Chinese leader Xi Jinping makes the case for free deal. He describes China as a” source of stability and certainty.”
Luong Cuong, the leader of Vietnam, greeted him in Hanoi on Monday with pomp and ceremony.
He will make a stop in Cambodia as he wraps up his journey by making a brief stop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s cash, later on Tuesday for a three-day explore.
In a “turbulent world,” Xi met with Vietnam’s Communist Party public secretary To Lam at a conference in Hanoi where he claimed the two nations “have brought the world important security and certainty”. Ho Chi Minh, the ancestor of the Vietnamese Communist Party, was also paid homage at the tomb.
According to a statement from China’s ministry of foreign affairs,” Both China and Vietnam should strengthen their proper resolve, simultaneously oppose punitive bullying, uphold the global free trade system, and maintain robust global commercial and supply chains,” he added.
Although some details about the agreements were made public about them, China and Vietnam signed a number of memorandums on participation in supply chains and a shared rail project. Xi also promised greater exposure for Asian agricultural exports to China.
Donald Trump, the US senator, expressed his concerns about the conference, which comes days after his levies shocked world markets and sent governments scrambling. Trump stated at the conference that China and Vietnam were” trying to figure out how do we screw the United States of America.”
Since Malaysia is head of the partnership this year, Xi is expected to discuss a free trade agreement between China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Malaysia. After in the day, Xi will match with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and King Sultan Ibrahim.
The deal will remove numerous tariffs between China and the members of the ASEAN, according to ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn. In an interview with the state broadcaster’s English channel, CGTN, he said,” We will bring more tariffs down to zero in many cases, and then expand to all the areas.”
A$ 1.2 billion Chinese railway project is one of the Belt and Road Initiative’s main projects in Malaysia. China is also its main trading partner and a major cause of foreign direct investment.
Before the price announcements had harmed the world economy, Xi’s visit was good planned.
Southeast Asia is China’s main trading partner, according to Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at Singapore’s Institute of International Affairs.” From the Chinese perspective, it’s mostly about ensuring that China’s influence in the region remains solid and attractive,” she said.
However, the tour’s schedule and the fact that Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia were all affected by Trump’s taxes give Beijing an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to acting as a “responsible” power, one of China’s long-held positions.
Nguyen Thanh Trung, a teacher of Asian studies at Fulbright University Vietnam, said,” China may provide a lot to Vietnam and another ASEAN countries during this turbulent period. China” can be a head,” I believe.
Since Li Qiang took office in November 2022, Anwar has visited China three times and called it a” real friend” during his June visit.
Vietnam and Malaysia are at odds with China over its promises to the South China Sea. Anwar vowed past September that Malaysia would not bow down to China’s needs to prevent its oil and gas exploration in a sea-rich area of the South China Sea because its activities are conducted in the nation’s waters.
