Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to embark on a trip to Southeast Asia next month, foreign media reported. This is seen as an effort to strengthen ties with neighboring countries amid heightened global instability since the second term of Donald Trump's administration.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 31st, citing diplomatic sources, that "President Xi is scheduled to visit Malaysia, Vietnam, and Cambodia in mid-April," adding that "he is currently coordinating a schedule to stay in Malaysia for three days." Following the meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Beijing last November, President Xi is expected to meet him again based on progress made.
This Southeast Asian trip is analyzed as President Xi's first overseas visit of the year, aimed at strengthening relationships with neighboring countries to secure allies against the United States, according to SCMP.
According to SCMP, President Xi's overseas visits are considered to reflect China's national priorities. He visited the United States to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November 2023 and also visited France that year. However, he has mainly visited allied countries such as Russia or "Global South" countries recently.
Malaysia holds the ASEAN chair this year and maintains a friendly relationship with China. Trade between the two countries reached a record high last year. Vietnam is China's largest trade partner within ASEAN, accounting for 26.5% of the total ASEAN trade volume as of 2023. Cambodia is a key trading partner and donor country for China, which is involved in Cambodia's major infrastructure projects through the "Belt and Road" initiative.
Dylan Loh, a professor of diplomacy at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, stated to SCMP, "The United States has also been strengthening its diplomatic moves in Southeast Asia, and as U.S.-China competition intensifies in the region, China's diplomacy in Southeast Asia is also being strengthened in response."