China's Xi seeks ties with Cambodian leader in final tour
Former leader Hun Sen and his son, Prime Minister Hun Manet, shared posts on their social media accounts that showed them meeting with Xi, although there were no details on any agreements that were expected. Xi said in an article published by Cambodian state-run Fresh News on Thursday that China supported the kingdom "choosing a development path that suits the nation, safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity". He said the two countries should "resolutely oppose external forces interfering in internal affairs, sowing discord and undermining" relations. China is Cambodia's biggest trading partner and source of investment, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Phnom Penh is also among Beijing's most reliable supporters in Asia. Hun Manet had described Xi's visit as a display of "iron-clad" friendship. He said in a video posted on Wednesday that the two countries had "common interests based on the principles of respect for sovereignty, equality, and non-interference in internal affairs". He also said China had played a "pivotal role" in Cambodia's socio-economic development. China and Cambodia celebrate 67 years of diplomatic relations this year and the kingdom also commemorated on Thursday 50 years since Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge.
Trump imposed tariffs of 49 per cent on Cambodia, among the highest of the levies handed out in his April 2 "Liberation Day" trade announcements. He then paused the levies for most countries for 90 days, reverting to a base tariff of 10 per cent. Hun Manet wrote a letter to Washington "expressing Cambodia's good faith to negotiate a mutual solution" and pledging to reduce its own tariffs on 19 categories of US goods, according to the commerce ministry.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met Malaysia's king on Wednesday in a state visit analysts said was aimed at burnishing Beijing's credentials as a reliable partner and "not a hegemon". Xi embarked this week on a Southeast Asia tour that has already taken him to Vietnam and will also include Cambodia, with Beijing trying to position itself as a stable alternative to US President Donald Trump's punitive tariff regime. Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional bloc have been among the hardest hit by the US tariffs, which risked alienating even Washington's friends and allies. Malaysia is this year's ASEAN chair. ASEAN member Vietnam, a manufacturing powerhouse, was slapped with 46 per cent tariffs and Cambodia — a major producer of low-cost clothing for big Western brands — was hit with a 49 per cent duty. Xi vowed in an opinion piece published in Malaysia's The Star newspaper that China will work with Southeast Asian countries to fight protectionism and keep global supply chains stable. "We must uphold the multilateral trading system, keep global industrial and supply chains stable, and maintain an international environment of openness and cooperation," Xi said. — AFP
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