Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called for deeper cooperation with Vietnam on trade and supply chains as he began a three-nation tour of Southeast Asia, arriving in Hanoi amid global economic tensions triggered by US tariffs.
The visit comes at a time when Beijing is grappling with sweeping 145% tariffs imposed by the United States, while Vietnam is in talks to reduce looming US duties of up to 46% that could take effect in July once a global moratorium expires.
In an article published in Nhandan, the official newspaper of Vietnam’s Communist Party, Xi urged stronger ties between the two nations, particularly in the areas of production, supply chains, artificial intelligence, and the green economy.
“The two sides should strengthen cooperation in production and supply chains,” Xi wrote, signalling a desire for closer economic alignment amid mounting trade pressure from Washington.
Vietnam, a key industrial and assembly hub in Southeast Asia, imports most of its raw materials and components from China while exporting finished goods primarily to the United States. The country has recently tightened trade controls to ensure that products labelled “Made in Vietnam” meet value-added requirements necessary to avoid being classified as Chinese goods re-exported to circumvent US tariffs.
Customs data show that in the first quarter of this year, Vietnam imported approximately $30 billion worth of goods from China, while exporting $31.4 billion to the United States — a trend that reflects the country’s strategic role in global supply chains, particularly in electronics, footwear, and apparel.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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