Chinese Leader Xi’s Southeast Asia Tour Delivers Underwhelming Results: Analysts

Beijing promises ’stability and certainty,' but Southeast Asian governments take steps to accommodate the United States on trade.

Vietnamese General Secretary of the Communist Party To Lam and Chinese leader Xi Jinping review the guard of honor during a ceremonial welcome at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi on April 14, 2025. Luong Thai Linh/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

News Analysis

Beijing’s recent engagements with Southeast Asian countries—including a trip by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia—resulted in exchanges and commitments to deepen economic cooperation. Meanwhile, efforts by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to find common cause with those nations against the United States’ toughening trade policies have been less successful.