Panel: Trusted partners amid trade wars: Xi's Southeast Asia trip
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Hello and welcome to Road Today, the panel discussion with Mika Anna in Beijing. This week, Chinese President Xi Jinping is on a landmark state visit to three key Southeast Asian nations, Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia. This trip aims to breathe new life into the vision of a shared future with China's neighbors and promote lasting peace and development in the region and beyond.

But this is more than a routine diplomatic mission. It comes at a time of growing tension in global trade, with Washington's terror threats casting a shadow over the world economy.

So what does the trip tell us about China's evolving role in the region? And why is it capturing global attention right now? We'll unpack all of that and more in today's program with expert voices from across the region. They are Dr. Li Peimei, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the International Islamic University Malaysia. Thanks for joining us. Thank you for having me.

Herman Lauro, founder of the Philippine BRICS Strategic Studies Group, a think tank on Philippines in global affairs. Great to have you. Thank you for inviting me. And Professor Song Qing Ren, School of Asian Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University. Welcome. Hello, everyone. All right. Let's first dive into the strategic timing of this visit.

Professor Song, President Xi Jinping chose Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia as the destination for his first major diplomatic tour of the year. How do you interpret the timing and strategic significance of this trip? This visit is President Xi's first overseas trip of this year. And his chosen location in Southeast Asia fully demonstrates that

China's highest regard for Southeast Asia. We know that Southeast Asia or ASEAN is the priority direction of China's neighboring diplomacy and the key area of our totally building the belt on the road. Currently, the global trade and economic situation is highly unstable. It's the largest economy in Asia and the second largest economy in the world. China is a responsible major country.

By strengthening cooperation with ASEAN countries in various fields such as politics, economy and culture, China has injected stability and vitality into regional development and stability, which helps promote regional stability and economic and social development and benefits the people in this region.

Professor Li, what's your take from a geopolitical and international relations perspective? What role does this visit play in positioning China within the regional landscape? Well, although I think the Chinese officials and Malaysian government has said that the state visit by President Xi was long planned, but still I would say that the timing of the visit was very significant because it happens after the global tariff plan announced by Trump.

So the countries could actually use this meeting to discuss how to ensure global growth remains resilient amid various uncertainties. So I'm thinking that China now is presenting itself to be a more reliable and predictable partner and friends to other countries, especially to the three countries he visited.

And this visit, I would say, will strengthen their relationship. And if we look at over 30 MOU signed between Malaysia and China, you can see that their cooperation has expanded across different areas, and some of which are really new, such as the construction of China-Malaysia AI+ new materials joint laboratory. But the questions would be why among the 10 Southeast Asian countries,

presidency choose to visit this trade country. I think the explanation would be that these three countries are very important, especially for Malaysia. We are being the ASEAN chair this year. This also means that when presidency meet with our Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, the two leaders could actually discuss about coordinating China and ASEAN responses towards these global uncertainties.

And moreover, Malaysia is also one of the top trading partners of China in ASEAN. And for Vietnam, it was said that the state visit is to celebrate the 75th anniversary of China-Vietnam relations. But most importantly, I think Vietnam plays a very important role in trade relations.

between ASEAN and China because it's the largest trading partner in China in ASEAN as of 2024. And as for Cambodia, I think we know that they have a very special bond with China. And I believe that their relationship was strengthened after the visit.

Mr. Lara, how do you interpret the timing and the strategic significance of this trip, especially amid global uncertainty and rising protectionism today? How does this visit strengthen China's traditional friendships with Southeast Asian countries? Well, I think that first and foremost, it reflects the vision of China and its vision

a very acute anticipation of the process of unfolding of the China-USA competition. It shows China being two, three steps ahead of the United States of America, which at this point is just revealing its arrogance, its unplanned initiatives, while China is taking very methodical steps

pursuing its vision which was established 20 years ago two decades ago of a community of shared future for mankind but starting with the neighborhood so china has successfully consolidated asia and has helped asia rise that is why the 21st century has been dubbed as the asian century

And I think that is the important focus of this current historical period where we see the crescendo, the unfolding of the Western versus Asian competition reach a climactic level in the region.

commercial and economic financial front. It largely, due to the success or failure of Asia's effort to guide it towards a more productive and peaceful outcome, will depend on whether this competition, not only of China versus the United States, but the United States is really targeting the Asian century.

And we must keep that in mind. And so it's important that we succeed in guiding this, despite the obstructionism of the United States of America, towards the vision that we Asians have, which is for a prosperous global future, multilateral future, and peaceful rise of humanity itself.

So I think it's very, very crucial now that we assert Asian and, of course, ASEAN centrality within this context now.

Fortunately, I have to express my regrets that the Philippines is the odd man out in the ASEAN community, which shares this vision. Momentarily, I have to also explain that the Philippines is in a crisis. We have a government that is no longer supported by the people because of its embrace of the agenda of the Western hegemonists.

But we will struggle along. I think the political forces for the restoration of the Philippines' independence and re-embrace of ASEAN and Asia is going to triumph anyway. But I have to express our apology for, in the meantime, being the odd man out.

I believe the Philippines will have more opportunities to engage with its neighbors in the future, especially as it observes the progress and development achieved by countries in the region. But thanks for your insightful answer from a strategic perspective. Professor Lee, let me get back to you because according to reports,

Malaysia's transport minister commented recently that in a world overwhelmed by negative news, China's leadership is more vital than ever. And he mentioned that China and Malaysia share Asian values to build a better future. So how do you interpret this concept of Asian values in this context?

Well, the concept of Asian values actually first emerged in the 1990s, which is actually trying to show that ASEAN has a very different set of values from Western values. And the ideas have been supported and promoted by various ASEAN leaders, specifically the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, which is the founding father of Singapore.

and also our former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr Mahathir. I think the key principles of ASEAN values include prioritising collectivism over individualism, which is what the West is actually promoting, individualism.

And we also prioritize discipline and hard work, respect for authority and elderly and the preference for social harmony. So I would say that, yes, indeed, you know, as ASEAN countries, we basically base our work ethics are all based on these very important ASEAN values. So China and ASEAN countries, we share these ASEAN values because we prioritize cooperation for social harmony and we are against

any unilateral actions that can destroy the social harmony that we're trying so hard to preserve. So I believe that the latest meeting demonstrate that they are willingness to work hard to bring prosperity, growth and also peace to the region, amid all the uncertainties and unpredictability.

which really contrasted with some countries that actually won prosperity and growth through extortion. Yes, it's cherished virtue deeply rooted in Asia's generational heritage today. Professor Song, how do you understand the concept of Asian values in this context? And in what ways were these values reflected in the outcomes of this trip?

We know that the Asian values emphasize peace, cooperation, inclusiveness, and integration and other fields. Both China and ASEAN advocate for ASEAN values. This year Malaysia once again assumed the Rotation Presidency of ASEAN, the Championship of ASEAN, and proposed the ASEAN theme of inclusiveness and sustainability.

which is highly consistent with the ASEAN values of peace, cooperation, inclusiveness and integration. China insists on working shoulder to shoulder with ASEAN and other regional countries to build a closer China-ASEAN community.

and also a closer China neighborhood community with a shared future, which is a blessing for regional and global peace and development. I think Asian countries may differ in many ways, but what unite us is a deep-rooted sense of responsibility and a sense of peace and a strong work ethic like Professor Li earlier mentioned.

Professor Song, let's briefly walk through the key takeaways of President Xi's three-nation tour. Let's talk about Vietnam first. The media from Vietnam described this visit as strategically significant. The two countries released a joint statement reaffirming shared commitment to socialism and expanded strategic cooperation. So how do you assess the future direction of China-Vietnam relations following this visit?

We noticed that the atmosphere of the meeting between the two countries leaders was very friendly and a wide range of topics were discussed involving comprehensive cooperation in politics, economy, people-to-people exchanges and other aspects between the two countries and the two parties.

The leaders of both sides also exchanged views, candidly, on international issues or concerns to both sides and reached many consensus on cooperation. This indicates that the two parties and countries are

standing at a new historical starting point, working hand in hand to move forward, carry forward the past and open up the future. Continue to write a new chapter in the building of the China-Vietnam community of a shared future. Work together to maintain world stability and development, and make new and greater contributions to promoting the building of a community of a shared future for mankind.

Professor Lee, what's your take? President Xi also emphasized the strengthening supply chain coordination with Vietnam and also defense ties, etc. What's the significance of these areas?

I think, yeah, both China and Vietnam, they have the same goal of advancing socialism. And they have their own socialist brotherhood relationship, which is very special in its own way. Like I earlier mentioned, Vietnam remains China's largest ASEAN trade partner. So in that sense, I think there's a lot of opportunity for China and Vietnam to actually strengthen their supply chain because their economy actually complement one another.

And for example, in terms of defence tie, this is important because defence cooperation, especially under the current situation, can help the two sides to address security challenges and also maintain stability in the region. So China expressed its willingness to elevate military relations with Vietnam to a new level.

and they want to deepen cooperation in personal training, joint exercises, and many more. So I think this is very significant. And when you have deeper level of cooperation, it basically means that your relationship has evolved to a new height. Then moving to Malaysia, Professor Lee, how do you view the significance of this visit to Malaysia for the future of bilateral relations? Yeah, from Malaysia, I think this is very significant because after the visit,

There are some commentators which say that Malaysia seems to be very pro-China. I would say because...

Because Malaysia, after 1970s, we are known to be a neutral country. And we always hedge against major power because this is the only way for small countries to actually survive. But after this visit, where we've seen that over 30 MOU signed between China and Malaysia, we can see that their ties are strengthened to another level.

And therefore, some claims that Malaysia is more poor than China. But I would say that this is choice by circumstances because basically the US are isolating everyone. So even though we want to work together with the United States, we cannot because they are basically using another way to get what they want rather than more diplomatically like China.

And this is very significant because if it's true, it actually represents that Malaysia is slightly shifting from our usual position of non-neutrality. And Professor Lee, as we know, Malaysia is the rotating presidency of ASEAN. And in Malaysia, President Xi said China is willing to sign ASEAN-China Freight Trade Upgrade Protocol. How do you view the impact of this proposal on the regional economy in the future?

Well, I think we really welcome this ASEAN Free Trade Upgrade Protocol. I saw something on social media which I think can be shared. There was a British politician who said that the time of globalization has ended when Trump actually announced the tariff.

So the question is, is globalization really dead with Trump's tariff? So my answer is not yet. If you look at what China is doing and also other countries are doing, they're actually ready and prepared to defend the multilateral trading system and also uphold globalization because we benefited from it.

And in this very critical juncture, I think free trade agreements are very important. And therefore, when China say they're willing to sign ASEAN-China Free Trade Upgrade Protocol and later to further expense on ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement, this is very important because by doing so, it will allow trade to continue to flourish. Whereas on the other hand, you see terms tariff are going to drag down on the economy.

So China's willingness, I think, to sign this is very crucial. Another thing I would like to share is that there's one American political commentator which says that when China visited this country, hoping that we would buy things from China is a mistake because they're saying that these Southeast Asian countries, they have no money and they're not able to have at all. I think there might be some misunderstanding here because actually China actually

economy collectively is pretty large and we have the potential to grow. As of now, we are the fifth largest economy in the world, but it's estimated that by 2013, ASEAN could rise to fourth, meaning we'll become the fourth largest economy in the world. So I think it's not right to undermine ASEAN economy collectively. We have a lot of potential here.

and we have a great buying power and I think the same as well ASEAN is looking to expand our export to China and we're hoping that China could help us to buy more of the products if in the case that the 90 days tariff is going to resume later I mean we're definitely we're going to look for other markets but besides China I think there are more other markets that we can explore

like in Latin America, in Africa. I'm thinking like China leading the way to have free trade agreement to expand free trade cooperation is a much better way. Mr. Lauro, how do you view the impact of the ASEAN China free trade upgrade protocol, this proposal on the regional economy?

well of course china is doing the right thing and the philippines can only envy vietnam and malaysia and the other countries uh doing tremendous business and trading with china i can really envy the 212 billion dollar trade between malaysia and china last year is that correct yes and the philippines is just one fourth of that

And we're losing market share with China. We were the top banana exporter to China in 2019. This year or last year, Vietnam surpassed us. In 2019, we had almost 2 million Chinese tourists spending almost $2 billion. Last year, 2024, we only had 330,000 Chinese tourists. So the Philippines is really reeling from this special relationship with the

United States while abandoning the friendly and productive beneficial relationship with China. We're really out of the picture right now. And this concessionary 17% tariff that the Americans have offered the Philippines is meaningless because there is nothing the Philippines can export across the globe to the United States of America unless it is able to negotiate some sort of agreement

accommodation with Chinese and other ASEAN countries relocating through joint ventures and other cooperative enterprises in the Philippines to export to China, to the United States, if the United States really wants to help the Philippines, which I doubt. Almost every week we have delegations from the United States coming to the Philippines, not to help the economy, but to sell F-16s, Typhoon missiles, and Nemesis missiles. So

The Philippines is being exploited by the United States. We long for the days that we go back to ASEAN and to the cooperation with China, but that is not something I can talk about yet today. I believe this is what truly sets China apart from the United States as a partner. Professor Song, would you like to weigh in on this? How do you view the impact of this proposal and upgrade of the ASEAN-China free trade?

We know that China and ASEAN are both important economies in the region. If the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area Upgrade Protocol to be signed as soon as possible, it will help regional countries resist decoupling and chain-breaking, small courtyard and high walls, and excessive tariffs with openness, inclusiveness, solidarity, and cooperation. China-ASEAN will respond to the law of the "Dong-Guo with

with ASEAN values of peace, cooperation, openness and inclusiveness. The response to the world is stability and uncertainty with Asian stability and certainty. Here is one more question for Professor Lee, because as someone from Malaysia, I believe your voice is especially relevant here. After this trip, which sector are you most excited to see further cooperation in between the two nations?

Well, I think one of the interesting thing would be about this cooperation to translate and publish work between classical works from Malaysia and China scholar. I think this one is very good because it's going to force the understanding between countries.

And also when you have a better understanding of each country, then it will facilitate other areas of corporations like scholar exchange, think tank collaborations, and even student exchanges. And in that way also, I think tourism can be boosted because once you read the classical work of that country, and then you will want to visit places.

And this will also boost tourism among countries. So I think this is one of the areas I think are quite interesting for me. Let's move on to Cambodia. China and Cambodia's friendship has been passed on through generations. Even when I was young, I often heard stories of close ties and warm exchanges between our two countries' leaders.

Professor Song, from your expert perspective, how do you understand the basis of China-Cambodia relations? And how do you see President Xi's visit further enhancing China-Cambodia ties today? The foundation of China-Cambodia relations mainly includes

similar historical experiences, long-standing traditional friendship, high political mutual trust, close economic cooperation, and close people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries. President Xi's trip to Cambodia is very important. He and the Cambodian leaders have raised the banner and drawn up a blueprint for the development of bilateral relations.

leading the two countries to continue to work together and advance hand-in-hand, promoting cooperation between the two countries in many fields such as politics, economy, and people-to-people exchanges to a new level, and continuously achieving new results in building a significant China-Cambodia community-wide shared future.

and injecting a new vitality into the friendship between the two countries for generations to come. Thanks, ladies and gentlemen. You've been listening to RAIL today. Let's have a short break. Coming back, we'll continue our discussion.

Welcome back to Road Today, the panel discussion with me, Ge'anna, in Beijing. We are joined today by Dr. Li Peimei, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the International Islamic University, Malaysia, Herman Lauro, founder of the Philippine BRICS Strategic Studies Group, a think tank on Philippines in global affairs, and Professor Song Qing Ren, School of Asian Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University. Welcome.

Let's continue our discussion on President Xi's Southeast Asia trip. Professor Sun, one key task between the two nations now is to advance the Diamond-Hexagon cooperation framework, spanning politics, production capacity, agriculture, energy security, and people-to-people exchanges. Which of these six areas do you think will see the most progress following this visit in China-Cambodia ties today?

Actually, I believe that the cooperation between China and Cambodia is comprehensive and the progress will be made in many areas in the future. For example, I believe that both sides will continue to promote industrial and supply chain cooperation.

Strengthen cooperation in advanced manufacturing, great development, built economy and other fields. Make the diamond hexagon cooperation more brilliant and solid and help each other's modernization process. And also I think that two countries need to carry out

higher frequency culture and people-to-people exchanges, persistent working together in harmony and coexistence, strengthening communication and dialogue among different civilizations, deepening the exchange of governance experience

carry out diverse forms of culture, tourism, heritage protection and restoration, youth exchanges and other cooperation in many fields, promote people-to-people exchanges and jointly promote Asian values and the common values of all mankind.

So let's shift to global trade headwinds we are facing today. Professor Liu, ASEAN is China's largest trading partner and also one of the region's hardest hit by the U.S. tariff hikes. Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia, for instance, have faced additional tariffs of 45%, 49% and 24% respectively.

So during his visit to Cambodia, President Xi Jinping emphasized that China is committed to working together with the Southeast Asian countries to contribute more to regional peace and prosperity. So how do you interpret this message amid intensifying global trade tensions today?

I think China understands that the US is not willing to provide public goods to the world and there needs to be a country that steps in to do that. And China is demonstrating their willingness to take up the role and work with other countries. And because Southeast Asia is China's neighbour, so therefore it's more important for China. And looking at how our economy actually complements one another,

But for our region, we mainly export maybe agricultural products to China and China exports more of electrical products to us. But because of this tariff heat on the Southeast Asia, we're expecting that China to absorb more goods from Southeast Asia. But again, we understand that it won't be easy because of these global uncertainties, consumers don't have the confidence to actually spend money

So we're hoping that the Chinese government's promises of new childcare subsidies, increased wages and better paid leave will actually help to boost consumer spending and

it also means that there will be more appetite for our products in Southeast Asia. But I just also want to point out that actually Trump, when they calculated the trade deficit, I think it's a bit unreasonable. He doesn't really take into account how the global trade works.

Why, for example, Malaysia, we're running such a big trade deficit with the United States. The reason is because there are a lot of American firms that actually established

plants especially in like semiconductor sector like intel they are producing the they are they are testing and packaging their semiconductor products here and later to be shipped to the america and therefore it shows that we have a huge trade deficit with the united states and another thing that the united states did not take into account is the trade in services what's been

paying them a lot for their services like Netflix subscriptions, their cloud storage services, but they don't take that into account because they already earn a lot of money. I think even with China, China is paying a lot of services to the United States. And in terms of trading services, the United States have a trade surplus with China. I think how Trump actually view the global trade

how it works is a bit faulty, in my opinion. - Building on that, do you believe China's role in the region can help alleviate economic pressure for Southeast Asian nations in the near future?

Yeah, we are hoping that they can do because now our economy is still complementary. But again, there is, to be true, there is also concern among Southeast Asian countries that there might be Chinese goods that flood this part of the world and that will force out

our local manufacturers. So I think if this is a concern about trade diversion, definitely China and Southeast Asian countries can discuss about it, on how coordinating the supply chain. And there is the discussions about decoupling from the United States. Probably I think this is a good time to reflect on whether is it feasible to build an alternative supply chain.

supply chain that exclude the United States. Because looking at the current situations, countries are actually forced to de-risk from the United States. And we're taking steps towards that much earlier, actually, Malaysia, because our government

Prior to the tariff plan announced by the Trump government, the Malaysian government actually did not have a good relation with the United States. The reason being that the United States has been giving our government some sort of pressure to pick sides, whether it is about the Israeli-Palestinian issue or between the United States and China. So in this sense, I think China's role is very important.

and China trying to expand on the free trade agreement. Like our SEP, China is actually trying to, they have the desire to expand the membership and skill of our SEP as well. And that will actually benefit ASEAN members. Mr. Lauro, would you like to add something on this? Do you believe China's role in the region can somehow help alleviate economic pressure

from the tariff war, for example, for Southeast Asian nations? Well, definitely China presents us a positive future aside from the issues about trade, the present crop of goods and services. China offers also new horizons for the ASEAN economies, particularly for the Philippines, for example.

We are very dependent on imported energy, for example, but if we transition with the help of China to the new energy vehicles, electric vehicles and so on, we have a whole dimension, a whole new level of economic development that we should pursue, which would redound to economic and untold economic benefits for our country, our people, you know, traveling without the need for the electricity.

Middle East dependent fuels that are, of course, through Western companies and so on. So that's one forward-looking avenue or development that the Philippines can look forward to. So not only looking forward, but presently, if we are able to restore good relations with China, we can restore also the expansive market that we have had

with China in terms of other foodstuffs and so on. So for ASEAN and the world in general, China is the only one that is now providing the vision for the entire global community, but particularly for the global south, Latin America, Africa, and South Asia. So I'm very bullish about China's relevance in the coming years.

And I think we're putting too much premium in the American market, which may suddenly collapse in the next few months or year with a threatening recession, if not great depression.

with internal fissures growing and not very positive foreseeable five years where they have to reorganize their economy and their cultural values to become productive again.

I hope that the other countries that the United States are trying to negotiate with, the 90 countries or so with this reciprocal tariff, are not given a raw deal by the Americans because of the promise of their traditional market, which may not be there in the coming years.

Mr. Lara, when we talk about trade, because China's economic exchanges with Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia, and also with ASEAN as a whole, stand out in both scale and growth. What does this say about the level of economic complementarity between China and these countries? Well, I think China's complementarity with ASEAN is like a hand in glove.

It fits exactly because it is in the neighborhood and that is why the Philippines is out of place right now because of its attitude looking outside of the region. But more importantly, I think China is providing the vision for the rest of the world. I think that we should also think outside of ASEAN.

At the same time, ASEAN can look also towards those new markets that China is stopping and helping develop economically in order to be markets also for ASEAN exports eventually growing together in the coming decade with Africa and Latin America. Professor Song, how do you look at the level of economic complementarity between China and ASEAN nations?

Could the partnership built on complementary resources and industrial strengths serve as a firewall today against the shocks of protectionism? The economic complementarity between China and ASEAN countries is a testament to mutual benefits and the synergies fostered by China's open and cooperative approach.

These complementarities between China and ASEAN rotate in China's and also ASEAN's extensive industrial capabilities and the resources and markets of both sides unlock new opportunities by facilitating trade, investment and technological exchanges.

They inject fresh momentum into regional development by promoting infrastructure connectivity, enhancing industrial chains, and creating jobs for the whole region, all of which contribute to the shared prosperity that aligns with the BRI, Vision and Awareness Corporation.

and also with ASEAN's different countries development strategy or plans. China's commitment to high quality development and opening up ensures that its partnerships with ASEAN will continue to thrive because both sides want to conduct closer cooperation in the future. And this cooperation will bring about a brighter future for the

entire region. Professor Li, in today's global environment where U.S. tariffs are increasingly disruptive and unpredictable, do you think these complementarities will unlock new opportunities and inject a fresh momentum into regional development? Well, I would say yes. Probably there is a lot more for Southeast Asian countries to actually

learn from China. I think they also say otherwise. I think when we talk about this global uncertainty, definitely there are new opportunities that both sides can actually explore and also learn from one another. So for example, recently I went to a dialogue

which is co-organized by a china chinese counterpart and also malaysian think tank the chinese experts mentioned that when they came to malaysia airport they were amazed at how we're all using the machines for clearance uh he said even in beijing not

they are not fully embracing machines. So, of course, what I believe in is that there are opportunities from both sides to learn from one another. And in terms of the economic complementarity between China and Southeast Asian countries, they do to a certain extent because China is an exporter of intermediate goods, which is very important to support the manufacturing and industrial needs of Southeast Asian countries.

So basically China exported these intermediate goods to be processed in Southeast Asian countries before the export to other markets. So, but still, if you look at the bilateral trade between Malaysia and China, um, we, China basically, uh, sell more to us, uh,

mainly because Malaysia is facing some challenges in manufacturing that may have limited our potential. So, for example, we have shortage of high skilled labor to meet the demand in advanced manufacturing processes. And when we have this kind of challenges,

that's very difficult to have more opportunities to cooperate. So in that sense, I think China's role is important because China, they have a very good training system to train the workers in advanced manufacturing sector. So therefore, I believe that China can actually come in to offer more in that sense.

But as is for at present, there's already talking about cooperation and already ongoing cooperation in technical and vocational education and training between Malaysia and China, meaning that Chinese firms actually offer training programs for our students here, vocational students here.

for advanced manufacturing processes, I think they would need other kinds of skill sets, which I think China can actually help with that.

Now let's talk more about our futures, because foreign policy often reflects both continuity and evolution. Given what has been talked about based on the outcomes of this visit, Professor Li, how does this visit reflect the trajectory of China's Southeast Asia diplomacy, and what are the notable nutrients you observed?

Well, I think what is interesting is that when we talk about China and Southeast Asia, they basically have to work together because if geography is destiny, we're stick together as a neighbor. So it only makes sense if we actually work.

have a close relationship with one another. So in terms of China and Southeast Asia diplomacy, I think this presents a very stark contrast to what Trump is doing. So this is, for example, can serve as a model for other countries to also collaborate with one another. So for

China, when they approach Southeast Asia countries, besides talking about bilateral cooperation, China is also very happy to have multilateral cooperation. And this is something Southeast Asia countries want to have because we think that Trump's actions and his terrorist threat is actually reversing the multilateral trading system that actually benefited all of us.

So in that sense, to be honest, I don't think we are pro-China, but it's just that we are thinking that China is advancing something that serves everyone's interest. And therefore, we want to work with China. And we prefer diplomacy over, for example, threat or extortion. So I think China and Southeast Asia diplomacy will serve as a model for China.

other engagements as well. For example, let's say you want to engage with other countries, they can also, they would definitely use diplomacy and not use the way that, you know, Trump is showing others.

Mr. Loro, do you share the same stance? How do you view the trajectory of China's Southeast Asia diplomacy? And what are the notable new trends you noticed? Well, China has been on the right track all this time and continues to be judicious and wise and embracing with ASEAN, which I am very glad about. Despite the problems with the Philippines, China has been very patient and

In the last year, 2024, despite all these political issues with the Philippines, China bought $1.6 billion in export contracts from the Philippines in the December China International Import Exhibition. So the hopes are high that this will restore, the good relations will be restored with China.

uh china is the hope of the world i don't mind saying that being pro-china if it is in contrast with america being pro-china is being pro-asean being pro-global south being pro-humanity so in this historical period one has to take if one has to take side

We should take the side of China while we let the United States of America sort its problems out by itself, because they are trying to impose so many things on the rest of the world, which the world should really not succumb to.

So we're cheering for China. Professor Song, what's your take? Because in fact, neighboring countries have always been a priority in China's foreign policy. As early as October 2013, during the first central conference on foreign policy regarding neighboring countries, President Xi Jinping proposed the concept of a community with a shared future with neighboring countries.

This year ahead of his visit, he once again emphasized the importance of this with neighboring countries. So how do you view China's efforts to build a community of shared future with its neighbors? China's vision of building a community of community

A community with a shared future with its neighbors reflects its commitment to peaceful development, mutual prosperity, and relevant cooperation in the region. This approach aligns with the principles of inclusiveness, equality, and shared benefits, contrasting with zero-sum geopolitical competition. President Xi's visit this time has solidified

The foundation of cooperation, approach the China's relations with the three countries and also ASEAN to a new level, inject new momentum into building our relationship and shared future between China and ASEAN.

in this region and also promote the building of peaceful, harmonious, prosperous and integrated Asian family. Then professor, one last question. What challenges might arise in promoting regional cooperation today? And how should China and its neighboring countries address these challenges? Promoting regional cooperation in today's geopolitical and economic landscape presents several challenges.

For example, geopolitical rivalries, external interference, economic fragmentation, supply chain shifts, non-traditional security threats,

China and neighboring countries can address these challenges. I think China and neighboring countries can strengthen strategic autonomy and to put forward inclusive multilateralism, enhance economic resilience, and to put forward

win-win cooperation in the future, improve crisis management and put forward more security dialogue, and deepen people-to-people exchanges. In short, the development of the region and the world requires China and many other countries to work together, seek common ground while resolving differences, share responsibilities, and strengthen real multilateral cooperation.

Professor Lee, from your perspective, what are the main challenges facing China and its neighborhoods in the region? And how should this be tackled? Well, I think when Presidency visited Vietnam a few days ago, Trump said the visit was to screw the United States. I think so one of the main challenges would be the U.S.,

I suppose they're going to use tariffs to prevent neighboring countries from cooperating with China. So it was even reported that the US requested Vietnam to prevent China from using Vietnam to avoid tariffs. So it really puts these neighboring countries in a very difficult position because again, like Vietnam, they are highly reliant on the US market.

So it's very difficult for Vietnam. But when you see a presidency visit to Vietnam, they sign many MOEs. So it's clear that, you know, Vietnam is not going to subsist until the pressure of the United States. And again, we already see that traps may not always work. I think Trump might have misread China. Well, he thought that he can use the traits of tariff to get others involved.

to do what he wants. But when he does that with China, with increased tariff, China did not back down. So it's not only China, I think the same with EU as well. EU also responded to Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs by imposing 25% tariff on imported US goods, which ranges from almonds to yachts. But again, for countries in Southeast Asia,

I'm not sure how well would they be able to, you know, face this, you know, the threats of tariff from the United States. I think that's a very insightful and incisive analysis. Mr. Olaro, what challenges do you see China and the region facing and how do you think they should be addressed today?

Yeah, I think that the final challenge is we should look at it. We should look at the final challenge as a challenge not only to ASEAN and Asia, but to humanity. We are the crucial point in human history where humanity

We are the humanities deciding to get rid of the last vestiges of Western imperialism and hegemony and opening the world to a future of forever peace and prosperity. We should stick it out. We should also teach the West a lesson that they will not be able to repeat.

what they have done over the past 600 years and that we are forging ahead with China, Russia, BRICS and all these other multilateral organizations towards this new future.

that will last for 100, 200 years of peace and prosperity. Thanks, Mr. Loro, for your very pointed and thought-provoking analysis. And that's all the time we have for this edition of Road Today. Thanks to our excellent speakers for such a rich conversation. Dr. Li Pei Mei, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the International Islamic University of Malaysia.

Herman Laro, founder of the Philippine Breaks Strategic Studies Group, a think tank on Philippines in global affairs, and Professor Song Qing Ren, School of Asian Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University. I'm Ge'anna. Thank you so much for your time and bye for now.