CHINESE President Xi Jinping begins a five-day back-to-back visit to three South East Asian countries -Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia on Monday after calling for the building of a community of shared future with China’s neighbouring countries.
President X issued the call at a recent conference in Beijing on neigbourhood work – the work China is doing in neighbouring countries.
China’s Foreign Ministry announced on Friday 11 April that the tour, which begins Monday 14 April will be President Xi’s first trip abroad this year.
The Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Lin Jian said neighbouring countries are China’s priority in its diplomacy, and China and South East Asian countries are “good neighbours, good friends with a shared future.”
The upcoming visits by the Chinese President bear major importance for China’s relations with Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia, and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a whole, Lin told a press briefing on Friday 11 April.
China and Vietnam: Camaraderie plus brotherhood
From Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 April, Xi will be in Vietnam for a fourth state visit as General-Secretary of Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese President.
This trip coincides with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Vietnam, two socialist neigbours that have forged an enduring bond as ‘camaraderie plus brotherhood’, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
Economic cooperation between China and Vietnam has developed steadily in recent years. China has been Vietnam’s largest trading partner since 2004, whilst Vietnam has been China’s largest trading partner within ASEAN since 2016.
Thier bilateral trade volume has exceeeded USD200 billion for four consecutive years, reaching USD260.65 billion in 2024.
Chinese enterprises direct investments in Vietnam surpassed USD2.5 billion in 2024, according to China’s Commerce Ministry.
China and Malaysia: Models of win-win cooperation
China and Malaysia are important developing countries, and emerging economies in the Asia-Pacific region and the visit by the Chinese leader will mark an important milestone in promoting the upgrading of their bilateral relations, Lin said.
Through this visit, China hopes to further strengthen coordination with Malaysia on regional and international issues, move bilateral relations towards the direction of building a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future and make new contributions to the growing strength and unity of the Global South and peace and stability in the region, Lin said.
China-Malaysia have maintained high-level development in relations. Both sides have had frequent high-level interactions, continued to consolidate political mutual trust, achieved fruitful outcomes in practical cooperation, setting an example of mutual understanding and win-win cooperation between neighbouring countries.
China has remained Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, with the volume hitting an all-time high of USD212.04 billion in 2024.
China and Cambodia: Iron-clad friendship
China and Cambodia have continued to deepen strategic mutual trust, enrich the ‘Diamond Hexagon’ bilateral cooperation framework, make steady progress in the building of Industrial Development Corridor and the ‘Fish and Rice Corridor’, achieve fruitful outcomes in cooperation across the board, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
China has been Cambodia’s largest foreign investor and trading partner for ‘several consecutive years.’ The China-Cambodia Free Trade Agreement, which came into effect on January 1, 2022, marks Cambodia’s first ever bilateral trade agreement. In 2024, the trade volume between Cambodia and China reached USD15.1 billion, surging 23.8 percent year-on-year.
President Xi paid a visit to Cambodia in 2016. In September 2023, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet chose China as his first official overseas destination after assuming office, a gesture reflecting Cambodia’s diplomatic priority. During the meeting Xi and Manet pledged to further carry forward the ‘iron-clad friendship’ between China and Cambodia.
By DELI-SHARON OSO
In Beijing, China
