Xi Jinping to visit M'sia, Cambodia & Vietnam on Southeast Asia tour

China President Xi Jinping is set to embark on his first overseas tour in 2025 from Apr. 14 to 18.

According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), he will be making state visits to Cambodia, Malaysia and Vietnam in a strategic effort to fortify China's regional relationships amid escalating trade friction with the United States (U.S.).

Singapore, however, is not part of the itinerary this time round.

Strengthening ties with neighbours amid U.S. tariff hikes

Xi will make a stop at Vietnam from Apr. 14 to 15 before visiting Malaysia and Cambodia from Apr. 15 to 18, according to a press release by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Apr. 11.

His trip marks the Chinese government's efforts to strengthen ties with its regional neighbours and present itself as a "credible partner" following U.S. President Donald Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs, reported SCMP.

Xi had also chaired a conference on diplomacy with neighbouring countries on Apr. 8 and 9 to discuss China's growing efforts to enhance such relationships.

The country has since been hit with a whopping 145 per cent tariff by the Trump administration on Apr. 10.

Southeast Asian nations have not been spared, with Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia being slapped with tariffs of 49 per cent, 46 per cent, and 24 per cent respectively.

While countries in the region have deployed different measures to mitigate the issue, such as removing tariffs on U.S. products and sending delegates to there for talks, China said that it will fight the trade war "to the end".

On Apr. 10, Trump "paused" the tariffs for 90 days while lowering rates with other trading partners back to a 10 per cent baseline.

China needs to "leverage" strategic opportunity with the three countries

Thomas Daniel, a senior fellow at Malaysia's Institute of Strategic and International Studies, noted that Xi's upcoming visits aim to strengthen China's already substantial influence in the three countries.

He said that China's handling of the tariff fallout, particularly in terms of currency and export strategies, could either "alleviate or aggravate the predicaments of Southeast Asia".

Daniel added that the regional tour offers a strategic opportunity for China, provided it can "leverage it".

Despite robust trade relations between China and Southeast Asia, territorial disputes remain a significant point of contention.

Beijing claims sovereignty over the majority of the South China Sea, including numerous islands and their surrounding waters.

These claims overlap with those of several Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brunei, fueling ongoing maritime tensions in the region.

Top photo via Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The People's Republic of China