Xi Jinping's Southeast Asia Visit | Opposing Trade Wars! Xi Jinping: Protectionism has no way out, hoping to deepen AI and Supply Chain cooperation with Vietnam.

Chinese President Xi Jinping embarked on a state visit to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia from April 14 to 18, with the first stop in Vietnam kicking off on Monday. On the eve of his departure and during the visit, Xi Jinping made several statements emphasizing that there are "no winners" in a trade war, calling on countries to oppose protectionism, and proposing to expand cooperation with Vietnam in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, 5G, and green development, raising external concerns about China's strategic layout in Southeast Asia.

"There are no winners in a trade war, and protectionism is not the way forward": Xi Jinping calls for global economic cooperation

In an article published in the Vietnamese Communist Party's "People's Newspaper," Xi Jinping stated, "There will be no winners in a trade war and a tariff war; protectionism is not the way to go." This statement is regarded as a response to the United States' recent imposition of tariff barriers and technology restrictions on China and several other countries, aiming to shape China's image as a defender of global multilateral trade.

He urged both China and Vietnam to "firmly uphold the multilateral trading system, stabilize global industrial and supply chains," and to create an open and cooperative international environment.

Strengthening China-Vietnam cooperation: Deepening from business exchanges to emerging technology fields comprehensively.

Xi Jinping's visit emphasized the deepening of comprehensive strategic cooperation between China and Vietnam, covering areas from traditional commerce to "new quality productivity". He pointed out that the two countries should further expand to emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, 5G communication and green development on the basis of industrial chain and supply chain cooperation.

Xi urged both sides to engage in more "people-to-people exchanges," and stated that "China welcomes more high-quality Vietnamese products to enter the Chinese market, and encourages Chinese enterprises to invest and operate in Vietnam."

This strategy not only consolidates China's economic and trade influence over ASEAN but also demonstrates China's attempt to win Southeast Asia's ally status in the global technology competition.

Deep investment relations: China remains an important source of investment for multiple countries in Southeast Asia.

According to 2024 data, China is Vietnam's third largest source of foreign direct investment, following Singapore and South Korea. At the same time, China is also the largest source of foreign investment in Cambodia, ranking third in Malaysia, demonstrating its expanding influence on the regional economy.

In the face of the US-China technology and trade war, China's capital and technology exports to Southeast Asia have become an important strategic tool for Beijing to promote the "Belt and Road" initiative and South-South cooperation.

Join hands with the "Global South": China actively unites developing countries to counter Western pressure.

In the article, Xi Jinping repeatedly mentioned cooperation among the "Global South," calling for China and Vietnam to jointly "safeguard the common interests of developing countries." This further highlights China's active efforts to unite the developing world to counterbalance the dominant position of the United States and its allies in the global technology and financial sectors.

The shadow of US-Vietnam trade still looms: the United States suspends tariffs, but risks remain.

Despite the increasingly close relationship between China and Vietnam, the economic and trade relations between Vietnam and the United States remain full of uncertainties. The administration of former U.S. President Trump imposed "retaliatory" tariffs of up to 46% on Vietnamese products, which, although currently suspended for 90 days, still pose a threat to Vietnam's exports. At this stage, U.S. imports from Vietnam only require a basic tariff of 10%.

This also requires Vietnam to carefully maintain a delicate balance between the two great powers amidst the US-China confrontation.

Southeast Asia has become a hot zone for competition between China and the United States, and China-Vietnam relations may enter a new era of "technology alliance."

Xi Jinping's trip not only conveys China's stance against unilateralism and trade protectionism, but also specifically proposes to strengthen relations with Vietnam through cooperation in technologies such as AI and 5G, indicating that China is leveraging economic and technological means to consolidate its influence in Southeast Asia.

Next, Xi Jinping will visit Malaysia and Cambodia, and similar "technical diplomacy" and investment commitments are expected to continue to be released. Southeast Asia will undoubtedly become another important battleground in the competition between China and the United States.

This article Xi Jinping's Southeast Asia trip | Opposing the trade war! Xi Jinping: Protectionism has no way out, hoping to deepen AI and supply chain cooperation with Vietnam. First appeared in Chain News ABMedia.