Xi’s stop in Malaysia, part of a week-long tour of Southeast Asia, came in the wake of Washington’s announcement of sweeping tariffs on goods from the region, ranging from 24 to 49 per cent. Although these measures were subsequently suspended for 90 days, they have raised serious concerns about future access to American buyers.
During his stop in Kuala Lumpur – his first since 2013 – Xi oversaw the signing of dozens of agreements with Malaysia, including deals on railway and aviation cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as partnerships in technology and energy.
In a joint statement, China and Malaysia said they will continue to work together under international frameworks like the United Nations (UN) and World Trade Organization (WTO), and “reject the unilateral trade restrictive measures including arbitrary tariff hikes that are inconsistent with WTO rules”.
“Both sides are committed to upholding the rules-based, non-discriminatory, open, fair, inclusive, equitable and transparent multilateral trading system with WTO at its core,” the statement said.
