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China's leader, Xi Jinping, has arrived in Vietnam. It's the first stop in a tour of Southeast Asia. The visit comes after days of escalations in the trade war between Beijing and Washington. Adam Hancock reports from Singapore.
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ADAM HANCOCK, BYLINE: Vietnam has rolled out the red carpet for President Xi Jinping. The Chinese leader arrived in Hanoi on Monday, kicking off a tour to free countries that are all targets of President Trump's tariffs. Whilst this visit has been planned for weeks, its timing couldn't be better for Beijing. Here's Nguyen Khac Giang from the think tank ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
NYUGEN KHAC GIANG: I think it's very good chance for President Xi Jinping himself to present that China is a responsible stakeholder and is willing to hold the global rules by order.
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HANCOCK: Xi's arrival comes at a difficult time for Vietnam. The country was left stunned when Washington announced it would face 46% import tariffs before the White House reduced it to 10% for 90 days last week. The manufacturing powerhouse is heavily reliant on exports to the world's largest economy and is now trying to negotiate President Trump's levies down. At the same time, Vietnam also wants to keep neighboring China on their side.
SUSANNAH PATTON: Xi Jinping's decision to travel to Southeast Asia is very significant.
HANCOCK: This is Susannah Patton, director of the Southeast Asia program at the Lowy Institute in Sydney.
PATTON: He rarely makes bilateral visits to the region, and so his decision to go there now definitely suggests that China sees this as being the right time to advance its interests in each of the three countries.
HANCOCK: After a stop in Vietnam, Xi will head to Malaysia, the current chair of ASEAN. The 10-nation bloc was the biggest recipient of Chinese exports last year, receiving nearly $600 billion worth of goods. Whilst this trip is being seen as a charm offensive by China, Patton isn't expecting any major announcements.
PATTON: China's development finance to the region has been tapering away, so big new deals would really go against the trend.
HANCOCK: President Xi's tour will continue against the backdrop of the escalating China-U.S. tit for tat. Before arriving in Vietnam, the Chinese leader said that there will be no winners in a trade war. The trouble for Beijing, though, is that Trump has reduced the hefty global tariffs to 10%, except for China. That's left officials there scrambling to find support and avoid being the only ones left out in the cold. For NPR News, I'm Adam Hancock in Singapore. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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