BEIJING — As the U.S.-China trade conflict intensifies under President Donald Trump’s sweeping 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, President Xi Jinping is embarking on a high-stakes diplomatic mission across Southeast Asia, aiming to forge deeper regional alliances and counterbalance the economic blow dealt by Washington.

Xi’s first overseas trip of 2025, announced by state-run Xinhua on April 11, will take him to Vietnam (April 14–15), Malaysia and Cambodia (April 15–18). The tour is widely seen as a strategic response to the latest wave of U.S. protectionism, and part of a broader effort by Beijing to reposition itself as a stabilizing force and economic partner in Asia, while softening the impact of lost U.S. trade.

Trade Tensions as a Catalyst for Regional Realignment

China’s pivot comes at a time when many of its regional neighbors are themselves being drawn into Washington’s growing tariff web. Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia are facing newly imposed reciprocal U.S. tariffs of 49%, 46%, and 24% respectively. While these countries have initiated diplomatic channels with Washington to mitigate the impact, China is seizing the moment to present an alternative: a new regional economic alignment, led not by the United States, but by Beijing.

In his remarks earlier this week, President Xi pledged to “deepen all-round cooperation with China’s neighbors,” underlining a shift toward enhanced bilateral trade, digital infrastructure collaboration, cross-border supply chain integration, and yuan-based settlement mechanisms.

China’s New Strategy: Resilience Through Regional Unity

Key pillars of China’s emerging Southeast Asia strategy include:

• Fast-tracking Belt and Road projects in Cambodia and Malaysia, including railway and port expansions.
• Launching new free trade and digital connectivity frameworks, especially with Vietnam and ASEAN member states.
• Offering preferential loan terms through the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to offset losses from U.S. trade.
• Promoting de-dollarization in regional trade by encouraging local currency exchanges.

The goal, Chinese officials say, is not just to weather the storm, but to recalibrate long-term trade dependencies and reduce systemic exposure to American economic influence.

Will Southeast Asia Trade U.S. Hegemony for Chinese Leadership?

The reception to China’s charm offensive is mixed, yet cautiously optimistic. For many Southeast Asian nations, the economic opportunity of closer ties with China is attractive, particularly amid mounting uncertainty around U.S. trade policy.

However, regional analysts note that concerns about sovereignty, economic overdependence, and political influence remain. Vietnam, for example, maintains a complex relationship with China, balancing economic cooperation with historic mistrust and territorial tensions in the South China Sea.

Still, some countries may see this moment as a strategic opening to extract concessions from both powers. “Southeast Asia won’t blindly trade one hegemon for another,” says Dr. Lê Huy Minh, an international relations scholar in Hanoi. “But it will leverage the rivalry to maximize its own strategic autonomy.”

Outlook: Multipolar Realignments in Asia’s Trade Future

Xi Jinping’s diplomatic outreach marks a clear pivot away from dependency on the West and signals China’s intent to emerge as the core economic partner for its regional neighbors. As the U.S. isolates itself through tariff escalation, Beijing’s vision of a “community of shared destiny” for Asia may find renewed resonance — if it can deliver both trust and tangible economic benefits.

What remains to be seen is whether Southeast Asian nations will embrace this reorientation, or instead pursue a more delicate balancing act between two economic giants locked in deepening confrontation. (hz)