Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged on Wednesday to strengthen strategic ties with neighboring countries, emphasizing the need to manage differences “appropriately” and enhance supply chain cooperation.
The commitment comes as China faces a deepening tariff war with the United States, triggered by President Donald Trump’s latest trade measures targeting Chinese exports.
Speaking at a two-day central conference on neighborhood diplomacy in Beijing, which concluded on Wednesday, Xi advocated for building a “community with a shared future” with regional partners. His remarks, reported by state media, mark his first public address since Trump imposed an additional 50 percent tariff on Chinese goods, bringing the total levy to 104 percent—effective as of Wednesday.
China has vowed to “fight to the end” if the US persists with these measures, signaling a defiant stance amid escalating tensions.
The tariff hike is part of Trump’s broader global trade strategy, but it hits China particularly hard, straining its economic relations with the US. In response, China has moved to fortify its regional alliances. Recently, it de-escalated border tensions with India, a thaw that gained momentum after Xi’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kazan, Russia, last October.
The two nations, locked in a military standoff in eastern Ladakh for over four years, have since held high-level talks to normalize ties.
China has also sought to mend fences with Japan and South Korea. Last week, it hosted the first economic dialogue in five years with the two countries’ trade ministers, focusing on regional trade facilitation and free trade agreements to counter Trump’s tariff threats. Additionally, Beijing is intensifying trade ties with other neighbors through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), aiming to offset the economic fallout from the US trade war.
Xi’s outreach underscores China’s pivot to regional solidarity as it braces for a challenging period under Trump’s presidency, balancing trade pressures with strategic resilience.