Japan PM goes to Vietnam, the Philippines to talk tariffs

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba left Sunday (Apr 27) for a four-day trip to Vietnam and the Philippines, as Tokyo seeks to shore up regional ties after United States President Donald Trump’s tariff onslaught. Ishiba’s trip comes after China’s President Xi Jinping conducted his own Southeast Asia tour, withContinue Reading

Commentary: Xi Jinping’s visit to Vietnam is not all about Donald Trump

VIETNAM’S SUBTLE SHIFT Xi’s visit offered Vietnam an opportunity to secure Chinese backing for its ambitious development agenda. Foremost among Hanoi’s priorities is advancing investment-led growth over the coming decade, necessitating enhanced infrastructure cooperation with China. While Vietnam has traditionally approached China’s Belt and Road Initiative with caution, recent developmentsContinue Reading

‘Comrades and Brothers’: Is China Pulling Vietnam Back Into Its Orbit?

After Vietnam and the United States upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in September 2023, China swiftly responded to avoid losing strategic influence in Hanoi. Three months later, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Vietnam – and this week, he returned with what is arguably theContinue Reading

Xi's Vietnam trip aiming to 'screw' US, says Trump

HANOI: China’s President Xi Jinping paid tribute to Vietnam’s late revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh on Tuesday (Apr 15), his last day of a trip to Hanoi that President Donald Trump said was aiming to “screw” the United States. Xi is in Vietnam as part of a Southeast Asia tour thatContinue Reading

What Samsung and Vietnam stand to lose in Trump's tariff war

SEOUL/HANOI : When Samsung Electronics chairman Jay Y. Lee met Vietnam’s prime minister in July, he had a simple message to convey. “Vietnam’s success is Samsung’s success, and Vietnam’s development is Samsung’s development,” Lee told Pham Minh Chinh, pledging long-term investment to make the country its biggest manufacturing base forContinue Reading