China to work with ASEAN nations to combat unilateralism, says Xi on Malaysia trip

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA)— Chinese President Xi Jinping has said that Beijing will work with ASEAN nations to combat unilateralism and maintain an international environment of openness and cooperation.

In his message, as he lands in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday for a three-day state visit to Malaysia, the Chinese leader said Beijing will promote global peace and shared prosperity with other countries through mutually beneficial cooperation.

“China will work with Malaysia and other ASEAN countries to combat the undercurrents of geopolitical and camp-based confrontation, as well as the countercurrents of unilateralism and protectionism, in keeping with the historical trend of peace and development,” Xi, who is on a three-ASEAN nation trip, said.

The trip comes amid growing regional friction and a raging trade war with the US, with both economic powerhouses engaged in retaliatory tariffs.

China-ASEAN cooperation, he went on to say, is the “most results-oriented and productive” in the region, pulling together in solidarity in response to multiple challenges, such as the Asian financial crisis, the global financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the growing headwinds against economic globalization.

He said Beijing and Kuala Lumpur “must” deepen mutually beneficial collaboration, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and strengthen cooperation on industrial and supply chains, with a focus on the digital economy, green economy, blue economy, and tourism economy, to advance the modernization of both countries.

In 2024, he noted, China-Malaysia trade reached $212 billion, up by nearly 1,000 times the level at the inception of their diplomatic relations.

China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years.

While China has strong economic ties with Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia, it also has competing maritime claims with both Vietnam and Malaysia, as well as with other ASEAN member states in the disputed South China Sea, a longstanding flashpoint in regional security.

Malaysia currently holds the ASEAN chair.

*Writing by Aamir Latif