The five-day tour to the neighboring countries, lasting from Monday to Friday, will be Xi's first trip abroad this year.
The visits will come days after the Chinese leader called for building a community with a shared future amongst China's neighboring countries at a recent central conference on neighborhood work.
'Neighboring countries are China's priority in its diplomacy, and China and Southeast Asian countries are good neighbors, good friends and good partners with a shared future,' said Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
From Monday to Tuesday, Xi will travel to Vietnam for a fourth state visit as general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
Xi last visited Vietnam in December 2023, where both sides agreed to build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future of strategic importance. Economic ties have strengthened, with China remaining Vietnam's largest trading partner since 2004, and Vietnam being China's largest ASEAN trade partner since 2016.
Bilateral trade reached US$260.65 billion in 2024, a 13.5 percent year-on-year increase, while Chinese direct investment in Vietnam surpassed 2.5 billion US dollars the same year.
Xi's upcoming visit to Malaysia follows his last state visit there in 2013, after which ties were elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, with bilateral trade hitting US$212.04 billion in 2024, a record high. Malaysia's tropical fruits, including durian, mangosteen, and jackfruit, have become increasingly popular on the Chinese market.
In Cambodia, Xi's last visit was in 2016. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet visited China in September 2023 on his first official trip, reinforcing the countries' "ironclad friendship."
China and Cambodia have advanced cooperation under the 'Diamond Hexagon' framework, particularly through the industrial development corridor and fish, rice corridor initiatives.
China remains Cambodia's largest foreign investor and trading partner. The China-Cambodia free trade agreement, effective since January 1, 2022, was Cambodia's first bilateral FTA. Bilateral trade reached US$15.1 billion in 2024, a 23.8 percent increase from the previous year.
Strategic or symbolic visits?
Amid rising tensions in Chinaâ€"U.S. trade relations, many observers argue President Xi Jinping's upcoming visits to the three countries represent a carefully calculated diplomatic and economic maneuver.
By reinforcing ties with Southeast Asian neighbors, China is diversifying its economic partnerships and reducing reliance on Western markets.
China on Friday announced a dramatic increase in tariffs on U.S. goods, from 84% to 125%, in retaliation for President Donald Trump's decision earlier this week to raise U.S. duties on Chinese imports to a staggering 145%.
The tit-for-tat exchange marks a major escalation in the ongoing trade war, raising fears of deeper disruption to global supply chains and markets.
In a strongly worded statement, China's Ministry of Finance blasted the U.S. tariff hike as 'unilateral bullying and coercion,' accusing Washington of violating international trade norms and disregarding basic economic principles.
The President's visits symbolize Beijing's broader effort to solidify its role as the region's economic anchor, deepen trade under mechanisms like the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and push forward strategic infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road initiative.
At the same time, China is positioning itself as a reliable partner in contrast to the U.S. led Indo-Pacific economic strategies, emphasizing mutual benefit and shared development.
It is fair to say that through appeals to camaraderie, win-win cooperation, and 'ironclad' friendship, China is advancing a soft power narrative centered on solidarity and shared futures.
This aligns with Beijing's growing efforts to lead a stronger Global South bloc, offering itself as a credible alternative to western-led governance structures and economic models.
IGIHE
