Xi Hits Back at US Tariffs in Hanoi

Chinese President Xi Jinping said in Hanoi on Monday that China and Vietnam should “jointly oppose unilateral bullying and firmly uphold the multilateral trading system.”

Xi, who is on a state visit to the Southeast Asian nation in the shadow of US tariffs, met Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, To Lam, and said, “We must strengthen strategic resolve, jointly oppose unilateral bullying, and uphold the stability of the global free trade system as well as industrial and supply chains.”

The remarks come as the United States ramps up economic pressure on Beijing, including a sweeping 145% tariff on Chinese goods and broader moves to decouple from Chinese supply chains, said a Xinhua news agency report.

Earlier in the day, China and Vietnam signed dozens of cooperation agreements, strengthening ties between the communist-run countries after Jinping warned that protectionism “leads nowhere” and a trade war would have “no winners”.

In his meeting with the Vietnamese PM, Xi said the two countries should work together to push for an economic globalisation that is more open, inclusive, balanced, and beneficial to all.