The News
Chinese leader Xi Jinping begins a visit to Southeast Asia on Monday, in an effort to strengthen Beijing’s regional economic ties following US President Donald Trump’s tariff salvo.
With stops planned in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia, Xi is expected to cast China as a reliable trading partner, in contrast to the unpredictability of Trump’s Washington.
But the three smaller nations must perform a diplomatic balancing act: Officials are likely wary of cozying up to China while pursuing trade deals with Trump, and they want to protect their domestic economics from a glut of cheap Chinese goods suddenly shut out from the US market.
Even amid the chaos, no Southeast Asian country “has given up yet on its relationship with America,” The Economist wrote.