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.
The Southeast Asian tour will mark Xi’s first foreign visits of the year and 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.
The trip also comes as China seeks to present itself as a credible partner to Southeast Asia, where anxieties are growing over Washington’s commitment to the region.
According to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, the conference pledged to strengthen mutual trust with neighbouring countries and called for more industrial and supply chain cooperation.
