Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday completed a two-day state visit to Cambodia, capping a three-nation tour that included stops in Vietnam and Malaysia at a time when all three South-East Asian countries are facing economic challenges from US President Donald Trump’s tariff proposals.
China has been strongly increasing its influence in the region over the past decade, largely by exercising its substantial economic leverage.
Beijing is now presenting itself as a source of stability and certainty as Trump’s tariffs threaten the region’s export-oriented economies whose largest market is generally the United States.
Cambodia faces among the highest reciprocal tariff rates proposed by Washington. In addition to Trump’s universal 10% tariff, it faces the threat of a 49% tariff on exports to the United States once his 90-day pause expires. For Vietnam , the tariff would be 46%, and for Malaysia , 24%.
“The timing of the visit is extraordinarily auspicious for China, falling just in the wake of the announcement of Trump’s tariffs that have caused managed consternation in Cambodia and Vietnam ... and upset in Malaysia,” Astrid Noren-Nilsson, a senior lecturer in the Study of Contemporary South-East Asia at Sweden’s Lund University, commented in an email interview on Thursday.
“Xi Jinping can now carry out the tour equipped with the moral authority and goodwill of a singularly constant friend and reliable trading partner.”
A summary of the visit issued by Cambodia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry barely mentioned the trade crisis, focusing instead on bilateral relations.
“This milestone visit not only reaffirmed the unwavering commitment to the iron-clad friendship between Cambodia and China, but also further strengthened and deepened the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and win-win cooperation between the two countries,” said the statement.
During his stay, Xi was granted a royal audience by King Norodom Sihamoni, and held meetings with Prime Minister Hun Manet and Senate President Hun Sen. The visit was Xi’s first to Cambodia since 2016.
Xi and Hun Manet also presided over the signing of 37 documents covering investment, trade, education, finance, information, youth work, agriculture, health, water resources, tourism, women’s affairs and other subjects.
Cambodia’s rapid growth in recent decades has been fuelled largely by Beijing.
China has been Cambodia’s largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years, with two-way trade in 2024 reaching US$17.83bil, though greatly in China’s favour.
It has also been Cambodia’s largest source of foreign investment for 13 consecutive years, as well as a major aid donor.
Beijing’s strong support allows Cambodia to largely disregard Western criticisms regarding its government’s human rights record and suppression of political opposition.
Cambodia for its part generally supports China’s stance on its widely disputed territorial claims in the South China Sea and other controversial issues.
Referring to social and development issues, the statement implicitly made a contrast to positions held by the United States, saying “both sides acknowledged the global threat posed by climate change and committed to strengthening environmental protection (and) advancing clean energy collaboration”.
It mentioned as well China’s help in dealing with Cambodia’s problem of clearing land mines left over from armed conflicts decades ago, and cooperation in the health sector.
The Trump administration’s foreign aid cuts have affected those and other sectors.
The statement also declared that “both sides agreed to further strengthen the cooperation mechanism between the armed forces of the two countries.” — AP
