The Chinese leader’s recent tour of Cambodia, Malaysia, and Vietnam is seen by a Swedish expert as a diplomatic success for Beijing in the wake of new US tariffs.
“The timing of the visit is extraordinarily auspicious for China,” says Astrid Norén-Nilsson, senior lecturer in the Study of Contemporary South-East Asia at Lund University, in an interview with the Associated Press.
“Xi Jinping can now carry out the tour equipped with the moral authority and goodwill of a singularly constant friend and reliable trading partner,” she adds.
Cambodia faces among the highest tariff rates proposed by Washington. In addition to Trump’s universal 10% tariff, it faces the threat of a 49% tariff on exports to the U.S. once his 90-day pause expires. For the other nations visited by Xi, Vietnam ‘s tariff would be 46%, and Malaysia ‘s 24%.
Source: APNews
