Xi Jinping has warned that US protectionism will “lead nowhere” as the Chinese leader embarked on a tour of Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia to strengthen ties with export-reliant south-east Asian economies rattled by Donald Trump’s escalating trade war.
The visit, Xi’s first foreign trip this year, comes days after the US president raised tariffs on Chinese goods to as high as 145 per cent, deepening fears of a decoupling between the world’s two largest economies and triggering a sell-off in global markets.
Ahead of the visit, Xi called for greater co-operation with Vietnam and other developing economies to promote an “equal and orderly multi-polar world”.