China's Xi calls for UN, multilateral systems to be upheld on Southeast Asia trip

Reuters - 16/04
China's President Xi Jinping called for support for the international system centred around the United Nations, trade and the rule of law as he continued on a Southeast Asian tour amid a sharp deterioration in China-U.S. relations.
  • Chinese president in Malaysia as part of Southeast Asia tour
  • Uphold multilateral trading system, stable supply chains, Xi says
  • Beijing boosting ties with neighbours as U.S. trade tensions rise
  • China welcomes more agricultural products from Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 (Reuters) - China's President Xi Jinping called for support for the international system centred around the United Nations, trade and the rule of law as he continued on a Southeast Asian tour amid a sharp deterioration in China-U.S. relations.
Xi is in Malaysia as part of a three-nation Southeast Asian trip that includes Vietnam and Cambodia, to consolidate ties with some of China's closest neighbours as trade tensions with the United States escalate.

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In an opinion piece published by Malaysia's English language daily The Star on Tuesday, Xi said a United Nations-centred international system underpinned by international law was crucial to "promote fairer and more equitable global governance".
"We must uphold the multilateral trading system, keep global industrial and supply chains stable, and maintain an international environment of openness and cooperation," Xi said.
Xi's comments come after U.S. President Donald Trump, who took o...
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