Cooperation Measures Expected in Response to U.S. Tariff Pressures
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who embarked on a tour of three countries including Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia, headed to Malaysia on the 15th (local time) after completing his schedule in Vietnam.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arriving on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the 15th (local time). Photo by Yonhap News
According to AP News and China's Xinhua News Agency, President Xi arrived in Malaysia on the invitation of King Ibrahim Al-Mahum Iskandar and began a 3-day, 2-night schedule. Malaysia is the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) chair country this year and marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with China last year.
President Xi's visit to Malaysia is the first in 12 years since 2013. He is scheduled to meet King Ibrahim and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the morning of the 16th. During his stay, discussions are expected to focus not only on strengthening bilateral cooperation but also on revising the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
In particular, there are expectations that the two countries will devise cooperation measures to respond to tariff pressures from the Donald Trump administration in the United States. ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn said in an interview with Chinese media (CGTN), "We will reduce tariffs on various sectors of trade between China and ASEAN to 'zero' and expand this to all areas."
Prior to his visit to Malaysia, President Xi stayed in Vietnam for 2 days and 1 night. He visited the mausoleum of Vietnam's founding father Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi and concretized cooperation projects related to railways and roads between Vietnam and China. Agreements were also reached in various fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), quarantine, and agricultural product trade.
After completing his schedule in Malaysia, President Xi is expected to head to Cambodia. Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia are all countries that have been subjected to high tariffs imposed by the U.S. government.
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