China's Prez Courts Southeast Asia as Trump Tariffs Bite

Chinese President Xi Jinping will kick off a five-day, three-nation Southeast Asia tour on Monday as Beijing seeks to tighten regional trade ties and offset the impact of huge tariffs unleashed by his US counterpart Donald Trump.

- Agence France-Presse

BEIJING:

Xi will visit Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia in his first overseas trip of the year, China's foreign ministry said.

He will meet his three Southeast Asian counterparts on a tour that "bears major importance" for the broader region, ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.

Beijing is trying to present itself as a stable alternative to an erratic Trump, who announced—and then mostly reversed—sweeping tariffs this month that sent global markets into a tailspin.