Southeast Asia: Region Set as Main Stage for U.S.-China Rivalry

Editorial

15:24 JST, April 17, 2025

Chinese President Xi Jinping is currently on a three-nation tour in Southeast Asia, visiting Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia. His aim is clear: to counter the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and win over the region.

This is Xi’s first overseas trip this year. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is the largest trading partner for his country, with Vietnam at the top among the 10 members.

Xi said their nations should “jointly oppose unilateral bullying” and “maintain the stability of the global free trade system and industrial and supply chains,” during talks with Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam. It is clear that the Chinese president was criticizing the Trump administration’s high tariff policy and urging Vietnam to fight against it together.

The United States has increased tariffs on Chinese imports to a combined total of 145%, while announcing that it would impose reciprocal tariffs of 46% on Vietnam, 24% on Malaysia and 49% on Cambodia.

By deepening economic ties, China is believed to be trying to bring together countries that are facing the pressure of unilateral high tariffs from the United States, thus aiming to gain the upper hand in the Washington-Beijing rivalry.

During Xi’s latest visit, China and Vietnam agreed to promote the development of railway connections between the two countries. Vietnam, which fought against China in 1979, is said to have been cautious about developing such links because they could be used to transport troops during a conflict.

However, with Trump’s return to the White House making the future of the global economy look uncertain, Vietnam may have found it essential to promote cooperation with China to continue its stable growth.

Nonetheless, it would be hasty to assume that Vietnam would join a coalition against the United States, as China is hoping.

Vietnam has agreed with the United States to begin talks on a bilateral trade agreement. Hanoi is making efforts to maintain good relations with Washington, saying that it is ready to eliminate tariffs on U.S. imports, among other moves.

This month, ASEAN held an extraordinary meeting of its economic ministers to discuss reciprocal tariffs, in which they agreed to have talks with the United States without taking retaliatory measures.

Above all, it is believed that Washington imposed high tariff rates on ASEAN nations because it aimed to block China’s roundabout exports via the ASEAN region of its goods to the United States. This indicates that ASEAN has been drawn into the rivalry between the United States and China.

Claiming that there are “no winners” in trade or tariff wars, China anoints itself as the guardian of free trade. If that is the case, China should refrain from economic intimidation in which it uses its economic power to put pressure on other countries, as well as refrain from providing huge subsidies to prevent fair competition.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 17, 2025)