Xi Jinping arrives in Malaysia as Trump’s tariffs push China to cosy up to neighbours

Chinese leader hails ‘golden 50 years’ of ties as he lands in the country, where he is greeted by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

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Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (left) welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) as the Chinese leader arrives in Malaysia for a state visit on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 7:53pm, 15 Apr 2025Updated: 9:42pm, 15 Apr 2025

Corrected [9:13pm, 15 Apr, 2025]

[9:13pm, 15 Apr, 2025]
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the publication date of a Xinhua article published ahead of President Xi Jinping's trip to Southeast Asia. It has been updated to reflect the correct date.

President Xi Jinping landed in Malaysia on Tuesday evening to continue his tour across Southeast Asia after concluding a two-day visit to Vietnam.

He was greeted by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the airport, kicking off the second stop of the Chinese leader’s three-leg trip, which will wrap up in Cambodia on Friday. The trip comes as Beijing prioritises ties with its neighbours amid the intensifying US-China trade war.

Upon his arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Xi issued a written statement. He said he expected his visit to deliver “fruitful” results and open a new “golden 50 years” of bilateral relations.

“I look forward to using this visit as an opportunity to further deepen the traditional friendship between our two countries, enhance mutual political trust, promote cooperation in modernisation, and jointly foster exchanges and mutual learning among civilisations,” he said, according to official news agency Xinhua.

In a signed article published in several Malaysian media outlets earlier on Tuesday, Xi described the two countries as “friendly” neighbours that “thrive and endure together”.

In a not-so-veiled swipe at the administration of US President Donald Trump, Xi wrote that China would work with Malaysia and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to “combat the undercurrents of geopolitical and camp-based confrontation, as well as the counter-currents of unilateralism and protectionism, in keeping with the historical trend of peace and development”.