Xi Jinping warns ‘no winners’ from Trump trade war as he heads to Vietnam

Xi Jinping has warned US protectionism will “lead nowhere” as China’s 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. Xi’s visit is sending the message that “we are the ones who are trying to defend the current international economic order, we are the ones who are defending the removal of barriers, and that the Chinese market will remain open”, said Dylan Loh, assistant professor at Singapore’s NTU.  Loh said south-east Asian countries would try to “hedge and walk an increasingly thin line” between the rival superpowers. James Char, a China expert at the RSIS in Singapore, said the uncertainty caused by Trump’s trade policies created an opportunity for Beijing to “stake its claims to be a reliable partner for countries in the region”. “Deep down, most of the south-east Asian countries do have reservations about China’s potential to be a magnanimous great power hegemon,” Char said.

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