HANOI – China’s President Xi Jinping and European Union leaders are set to visit Vietnam in the coming weeks in a flurry of diplomatic engagements as concerns grow over potential new U.S. trade tariffs, officials said.
China, the EU, and Vietnam all maintain significant trade surpluses with the United States and have faced tariff measures from the administration of Donald Trump, with further levies expected to be announced on Wednesday.
Xi is scheduled to meet Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi on April 14, two Vietnamese officials with direct knowledge of the plans told Reuters. The visit marks his second trip to the country in under 18 months. His multi-day stay in Vietnam is part of a broader tour of Southeast Asia, which also includes stops in Cambodia and Malaysia, according to two diplomats.
When asked about Xi’s trip, China’s Foreign Ministry said it had no information to share. Vietnam’s Foreign Affairs Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Among the topics expected to be on the agenda are plans to develop railway links between northern Vietnam and China, a project both governments have agreed to pursue to enhance connectivity and trade, one of the Vietnamese sources said. Xi’s visit comes as major global powers undergo “strategic adjustments,” with the same source citing Trump’s shifting policies as a key factor in the changing landscape.
Vietnam is also in the process of approving the use of China’s COMAC commercial aircraft. An industry source in Vietnam said an official approval could align with Xi’s visit, potentially paving the way for Vietnamese airlines to lease or purchase Chinese-built jets.
Just days before Xi’s visit, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is set to meet with Vietnamese leaders on April 9, followed by EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, according to official programs. French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are also planning visits to Hanoi in the coming weeks, European officials and diplomats said.
“The tide of tariffs and export controls is rising… We want to create new opportunities to trade and invest with trusted partners,” von der Leyen said in a video address to top officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) when they met in Hanoi last month.
