中文
Lead: President Xi Jinping wrapped up a three-nation Southeast Asian tour last week, deepening China's ties with Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia.
By Azhar Azam
Chinese President Xi Jinping last week wrapped up an important trip to three Southeast Asian countries: Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia. His successful tri-nation visit firmed up Beijing's relations with three key regional states and could bolster intra-regional economic partnerships.
Xi's visit strengthens longstanding China-Vietnam relationship
Xi arrived in Vietnam at the invitation of General Secretary To Lam of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Luong Cuong. It was his first overseas trip in 2025 and his fourth as Chinese president to Hanoi, signifying his high regard for Vietnam, China's neighbor and longstanding partner.
During Xi's visit in December 2023, China and Vietnam agreed to elevate their comprehensive strategic partnership and promote the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future by enhancing political trust, preserving regional stability, aligning development strategies, expanding trade and investment, fortifying social connections and resolving bilateral differences.
The consensus is yielding practical results as bilateral trade in 2024 exceeded $260 billion, growing 13.5% year on year. As for investment, China ranked first in the number of newly launched investment projects in Vietnam in 2024, with a total investment of $4.73 billion. Both nations continue building relations through youth exchanges, infrastructure development and commitment to regional peace.
Reinforced by frequent high-level exchanges, China-Vietnam ties have positively impacted the Vietnamese people and economy. Railway connectivity and smart port development are advancing steadily, solar panels and waste-to-energy plants are boosting electricity supply, the Chinese-built Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line has improved public transportation, and Chinese tourists made over 3.7 million visits to Vietnam in 2024.
Dozens of agreements signed during Xi's trip this time underscore determination of both China and Vietnam to strengthen their partnership. Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh called Xi's visit a historic milestone reflecting strong country-to-country, party-to-party and people-to-people ties. The agreements will also contribute to regional prosperity and support a nondiscriminatory global trading system.
China-Malaysia partnership strengthens regional economic resilience
Since 2009, China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner. Bilateral trade in 2024 surged 11.4% to $212 billion, showing remarkable resilience. China-Malaysia economic ties continue to strengthen through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects, which are enhancing regional connectivity and promoting economic development throughout Southeast Asia. For instance, construction of the East Coast Rail Link in Malaysia has entered its final phase. After creating about 23,000 jobs at its peak, this flagship BRI project will boost tourism and trade once completed.
China and Malaysia maintain close ties rooted in sincerity, cooperation and friendship. Commemorating the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations, Beijing and Kuala Lumpur, during Chinese Premier Li Qiang's visit to Malaysia last June, issued a joint statement with multiple memorandums of understanding on trade, investment, housing, education and technology. The trip deepened their comprehensive strategic partnership by building trust, aligning development strategies, promoting exchanges and enhancing multilateral coordination.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim visited China in November, signing agreements to boost cooperation in green technology, digital economy and modern agriculture. The agreements sparked interest among business groups and industries eager to benefit from China's expertise and investment. Anwar Ibrahim described the outcome as "a very positive development" and "a great benefit to Malaysians."
During his trip, Xi sought to add momentum to the bilateral friendship. Noting the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park alone had attracted over 11 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) in investments, he told the Malaysian media that bilateral cooperation was advancing in digital economy, green development, industrial investment and infrastructure construction. He urged support for multilateral trading, deeper collaboration, high-level Belt and Road cooperation and stronger industrial and supply chains.
Xi's visit yielded 31 memorandums of understanding between the two countries, covering media exchanges, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative,the Global Civilization Initiative, mutual visa exemption, trade services, artificial intelligence, intellectual property and infrastructure, plus a joint statement focusing on the digital, green, blue and tourism economies and regional peace.
These agreements and the consensus to uphold an equitable multilateral trading system and build stable industrial and supply chains will bolster the all-round China-Malaysia relationship. The partnership will also contribute to regional stability and open up a new era of high-value trade, investment and technological cooperation, infusing strong dynamism into the regional economy.
A visible manifestation of the China-Cambodia ironclad friendship
China and Cambodia maintain an enduring and ironclad friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership. During visit to Beijing by President Samdech Techo Hun Sen of the Senate of Cambodia last December, President Xi extended China's support to implement the new action plan on building the China-Cambodia community with a shared future. He also pledged to enrich the "Diamond Hexagon" cooperation framework and formulate cooperation plans for industrial development and agricultural production corridors focusing on fish and rice.
In 2024, two-way trade reached $17.83 billion, up by 20.7% year-on-year. China is also the largest source of foreign direct investment in Cambodia, with almost 50% of investments coming from Chinese investors. While imports of raw materials from China have helped Cambodia export manufacturing goods, modern Chinese automated machines have improved the production efficiency, product quality, and manufacturing capacity of the country's factories.
Beijing has been accused of pursuing an elite-centric approach toward Cambodia. However, China's activities in the country tell a different story. China's trade and investment ties, support for sports development, medical equipment factories, cultural exchanges, agro-industrial parks and cooperation on water resources and demining show broader engagement. These efforts deliver concrete benefits to Cambodians in their everyday life, contributing to their economic well-being, job creation, health, security and the country's growth.
The BRI has dramatically reshaped the country's economic landscape. Projects within the China-initiated mega global development strategy, such as the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone (SSEZ) — a joint venture between investors from China and Cambodia — continue to be a beacon of growth and development for Phnom Penh. Cambodian officials report the SSEZ generated more than $4 billion in 2024, up 21.3% from 2023, while creating 32,000 jobs. The zone has transformed the country's manufacturing sector, boosting living standards and accelerating Cambodia's progress toward becoming a middle-income country by 2030.
In his article for the Cambodian press, Xi highlighted projects benefiting local people, including the completion of the China-Cambodia Friendship Poverty Alleviation Demonstration Village, which has revitalized Tanorn Village through sustainable, community-driven development. Meanwhile, the signing of 37 bilateral cooperation documents represents the strong China-Cambodia relationship. These agreements cover industry, technology and fish and rice corridors within both the "Diamond Hexagon" framework and the BRI. The documents also demonstrate the two nations' shared opposition to trade protectionism and commitment to multilateral trading. All these examples are visible manifestations of the blossoming all-weather China-Cambodia relationship.
Reaffirmation of China's commitment to the region and its people
Building a community with a shared future for mankind is central to China's diplomacy. Xi's visit to the three important Southeast Asian nations reaffirmed Beijing's commitment to the region's centrality. It also provided a roadmap to bring certainty and stability to the region and the world at large by protecting the multilateral trading system and strengthening industrial and supply chains.
Azhar Azam is a geopolitical analyst with a keen interest in the economy, climate change and regional conflicts.
