Xi Urges Vietnam to resist U.S. trade bullying

English , International - بین الاقوامی , Snippets , / Tuesday, April 15th, 2025

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rki.news
Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged Vietnam to stand against “unilateral bullying” to uphold global free trade, a thinly veiled rebuke of the United States amid rising trade tensions. His remarks came during a diplomatic tour of Southeast Asia, including stops in Malaysia and Cambodia.
Though pre-planned, the visit has gained urgency as the U.S.-China trade war intensifies. Vietnam, a key player in global supply chains, narrowly avoided steep U.S. tariffs of up to 46% after the Trump administration granted a 90-day pause last week.
According to Chinese state media, Xi told Vietnamese Communist Party Secretary-General To Lam that both nations must “jointly oppose unilateral bullying” and preserve the stability of international trade systems and supply chains. Xi positioned China as a defender of global trade norms, contrasting its stance with that of the United States.
Former U.S. trade negotiator Stephen Olson called Xi’s move “shrewd,” saying, “While Trump seems determined to blow up the trade system, Xi is presenting China as a rules-based alternative.”
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed Xi’s Southeast Asia tour as an effort to “screw the United States.” Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said, “That’s a lovely meeting. A meeting like that is just to figure out how to hurt the U.S.”
The conflict escalated when Washington imposed tariffs of up to 145% on Chinese goods. Beijing retaliated with its own 125% tariffs on American imports. A brief exemption on electronics was announced by U.S. customs, but Trump later denied any relief, saying those products were merely moved to a different tariff category.
As tensions rise, both nations continue vying for influence in Asia’s shifting trade landscape.