Chinese president’s first 2025 overseas visit: championing multilateralism in a fragmented world

As the world’s leading superpower retreats from decades of globalization, the global economy faces growing uncertainty. Amid this shifting landscape, Chinese President Xi Jinping has embarked on his first overseas trip of 2025—visiting Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia - three of China’s close neighbors and also key members of ASEAN which has been China’s largest trading partner for four consecutive years. So how does this trip fit into China’s efforts to cushion the impact of rising U.S. tariffs? And what does it reveal about Beijing’s broader aspirations for regional partnerships? In this episode, CGTN reporter Zhao Yunfei joins us from Kuala Lumpur to explore what President Xi’s Southeast Asia tour might signal for the future of China’s economic and trade strategy.