Will China’s bid to win allies in Asia work?

The world’s second-largest economy is settling in for the long game with a strategy that could soon extend to Australia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) shakes hands with Vietnam’s National Assembly chairman Tran Thanh Man, in Hanoi, on Monday. AP

Jessica SierNorth Asia correspondent

Apr 16, 2025 – 5.46pm

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As US President Donald Trump narrows the focus of the trade war to China, evidence is mounting that the world’s second-largest economy is settling in for the long game with a strategy that could soon extend to Australia.

For Xi Jinping this week, that meant touring through South-East Asia, signing a flurry of trade deals in Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia to further entrench China as the region’s preferred trading partner.

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Jessica SierNorth Asia correspondentJessica Sier is the North Asia Correspondent for The Australian Financial Review. She is based in Tokyo, Japan. Jessica has previously written on technology, global capital markets and economics.