During a state visit to Vietnam, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Vietnam to respond together to U.S. tariffs. Media outlets in the Chinese sphere have analyzed that since the U.S. has no willingness to compromise with China, China will continue to respond to the U.S. in a manner that is 'partly voluntary and partly involuntary.'
According to Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency on the 15th, Xi Jinping met with Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi the day before, stating, 'China and Vietnam are beneficiaries of economic globalization, and we must enhance our strategic will and oppose unilateral bullying together,' adding, 'We must safeguard the global free trade system and the stability of industrial and supply chains.' Xi Jinping has been on a visiting schedule to three Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia, since the 14th.
China has defined the tariffs imposed by the Donald Trump administration on the world as 'unilateral bullying.' Since February, Trump has imposed a total tariff of 145% on China. While China's primary target is the U.S., Vietnam is not exempt either. The reciprocal tariff imposed by the U.S. on Vietnam is 46%. This is because Chinese goods are being rerouted to the U.S. through Vietnam, leading to a trade surplus for Vietnam.
In response to U.S. pressure, China is strengthening friendly relations with neighboring countries, and this visit is also interpreted in that context. During the meeting the day before, Xi Jinping presented six measures for building a China-Vietnam community of shared destiny. The six measures include: ▲Enhancing strategic mutual trust such as strengthening high-level communication ▲Strengthening security cooperation including ministerial-level '3+3' strategic dialogue in the fields of diplomacy, defense, and public security (police) and joint responses to cross-border crime ▲Expanding industrial cooperation in areas such as railways, roads, and artificial intelligence (AI) ▲Cultural exchanges ▲Multilateral cooperation ▲Promoting more positive maritime exchanges in the South China Sea.
As seen in the message Xi Jinping sent to Vietnam, China is expected to choose counterattacks over compromise with the U.S. in the future. This reflects 'partly voluntary and partly involuntary.' Hong Kong's Sing Tao Daily reported that the U.S. has no intention of engaging in dialogue with China. Before the onset of the tariff war, China quietly sent former U.S. Ambassador Cui Tiankai to the U.S. to seek negotiation opportunities, but the talks did not materialize.
According to media reports, the U.S. initially raised concerns about the former ambassador Cui's rank, but the real issue was that it never intended to engage in dialogue with China. It was noted that 'in an intent to apply extreme pressure, they mentioned Taichih (the fifth-ranking official of the Central Secretariat of the Communist Party of China).' However, Sing Tao Daily reported that even if China had sent He Lifeng, the Vice Premier of the State Council and economic chief, it would have been difficult to reach an agreement and would have only increased the U.S.'s momentum.
The media stated, 'The true intention behind the Trump tariff war does not lie in tariffs,' adding, 'The ultimate goal is to solidify the U.S.'s unique competitive advantage while thoroughly crippling China's industrial upgrade opportunities, ensuring that it remains forever a 'low-cost factory' for the U.S.' It was also noted that 'countries like Vietnam are highly dependent on the U.S. market and thus lack the power to counter, and they can kneel to the U.S.' It concluded that 'even if China surrenders, it will not be helpful and failure is predetermined, hence a strong counterattack is necessary.'