During his recent tour of Southeast Asia, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against āthe law of the jungleā and spoke of the shared āAsian values of peace, cooperation, openness and inclusivenessā. In a world shocked by Trumpās tariffs, his message of solidarity and the promise of a stable and certain Asia is resonating ā and not just in the region.
In Malaysia, Xi vowed that āin the face of shocks to the current international order and economic globalisation, our two nations will stand united with other countries in the region to jointly resist the undercurrents of geopolitical and camp-based confrontationā.
Praising China as a ārational, strong and reliableā partner in an era of geopolitical uncertainty, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim emphasised how Chinaās āglobal initiatives offer a new lease on hopeā, while speaking of how āsome nations abandon the principle of shared responsibility and others question long-standing commitmentsā ā an implicit criticism of the Trump administration.
Anwarās statement is particularly relevant. Malaysia is the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with the power to set its agenda. The bloc is Chinaās biggest export destination.
Malaysia is also in the midst of high-stakes negotiations to avoid a stiff US tariff, set at 24 per cent before the 90-day pause. China is excluded from the pause; the additional US tariff on Chinese imports has been raised to 145 per cent. On his Southeast Asia tour, Xi called on states to āovercome the counter-currents of unilateralism and protectionism, and safeguard the promising prospects for development in our shared Asian homeā.
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Xi wraps up Southeast Asia charm offensive tour, as Beijing calls for talks with Washington
Xi wraps up Southeast Asia charm offensive tour, as Beijing calls for talks with Washington
This message of solidarity in the face of Trumpian uncertainty has resonated also with traditional US allies in Europe, Japan and South Korea.