Is China trying to "screw over" Donald Trump?

Whilst currently waging a fierce trade war against China, the American president is not pleased that his Chinese counterpart is touring Southeast Asia.

After his stay in Vietnam, Xi Jinping arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday, where he hopes to strengthen trade links in light of the US’s ultra-protectionist policy, according to the media outlet 20 Minutes.

During this extensive tour, the Chinese president will also visit Cambodia to organise a coordinated, stronger response to the tariffs imposed by Donald Trump. Meanwhile, the White House occupant believes that through these different visits, Beijing is keen to find a way to “screw over” Washington.

Alongside Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the Chinese president declared: “We must uphold the UN-centred international system and international order […] and promote a fairer and more equitable global governance,” according to the Malaysian newspaper The Star. Earlier, on Monday, Xi Jinping was in Vietnam to assert that Beijing represented a reliable ally, in contrast to an unpredictable US leader, who announces then pauses or cancels prohibitive tariff increases.

A nice meeting with a "dirty" objective

The American president, speaking to journalists at the White House, indicated that Beijing’s sole objective was to harm the United States. “I don’t blame China. I don’t blame Vietnam.” “I see they are meeting today (Monday)”. “It’s a nice meeting […] or how to try and find a way to screw over the United States,” he added.

In Hanoi, Xi Jinping stressed that “no winner” could emerge from such a trade war. Furthermore, he affirmed that the two countries must “jointly oppose bullying and maintain the stability of the global free-trade system”. It's noteworthy that during this visit, Hanoi and Beijing signed 45 cooperation agreements, notably on supply chains, AI, joint marine patrols, and railways, reports 20 Minutes.

For Chinese exports, Southeast Asia holds a central position. In 2024, countries in the regional bloc (Asean) were their primary recipients with $586.5 billion worth of goods in total.

(MH with Manon Pierre - Source: 20 Minutes - Illustration: ©Unsplash)