Xi Jinping Urges Cambodia to Resist Protectionism: On a visit to Cambodia today, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that country should resist protectionism, in apparent slight against U.S. tariffs. Cambodia is the last stop on Xi’s weeklong tour of Southeast Asia, where he sought to present China as a more stable trading partner than the United States.
Cambodia is a major exporter of clothing to the U.S. and was subject to an import tax of 49 percent before Trump paused many tariffs until July. Cambodia, a key player in the garment export industry and a major supplier to the U.S., had previously been hit with a steep import tax of 49 percent.
Although the Trump administration later paused many of those tariffs until July, concerns remain high among Cambodian officials and business leaders about the future of trade relations with the West.
Xi’s remarks, delivered during a joint press event with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, underscored China’s willingness to deepen economic cooperation with Southeast Asian nations, many of which are increasingly caught in the crosshairs of U.S.-China economic rivalry.
Source: raialkhalij + aljazeera