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China's Xi urges Vietnam to oppose 'bullying' as Trump mulls more tariffs

Annabelle Liang
Business reporter
Getty Images Chinese President Xi Jinping waves during a meeting with Vietnam's communist party general secretary To Lam at the Office of the Party Central Committee in Hanoi on 14 April 2025.Getty Images
Xi started his South East Asia trip in Vietnam

China's President Xi Jinping has called on Vietnam to oppose "unilateral bullying" to upkeep a global system of free trade - though he stopped short of naming the US.

It comes as Xi is on a so called "charm offensive" trip across South East Asia, which will also see him visit Malaysia and Cambodia.

Though the trip was long-planned, it has taken on heightened significance in the wake of a mounting trade war between the US and China. Vietnam was facing US tariffs of up to 46% before the Trump istration issued a 90-day pause last week.

US President Donald Trump called Xi's meeting with Vietnamese leaders a ploy to figure out how to "screw the United States of America".

According to state media outlet Xinhua, Xi told Vietnam's Communist Party Secretary-General To Lam to "tly oppose unilateral bullying".

"We must strengthen strategic resolve... and uphold the stability of the global free trade system as well as industrial and supply chains," he said.

Stephen Olson, a former US trade negotiator, said Xi's comments were "a very shrewd tactical move".

"While Trump seems determined to blow up the trade system, Xi is positioning China as the defender of rules-based trade, while painting the US as a reckless rogue nation," he added.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval office on Monday, Trump said he does not "blame" China or Vietnam but alleged that they were focused on how to harm the US.

"That's a lovely meeting. Meeting like, trying to figure out, how do we screw the United States of America":[]}