Chinese President Xi Jinping promoted the idea of an "Asian family" and called for regional unity during a trip to Southeast Asia, in an apparent effort to curb US pressure on nations to limit trade ties with Beijing.

According to a Bloomberg, quoted by Negócios newspaperXi landed in Phnom Penh on Thursday (17), kicking off the final leg of his three-country tour as Donald Trump's administration prepares to seek cooperation from trade partners in its siege of Beijing. The Chinese leader emphasized solidarity in a speech at a state dinner in Malaysia the previous day, when the two nations signed comprehensive agreements, a sign of deepening economic ties.

"China and Malaysia will support countries in the region to counter the hidden currents of geopolitical and bloc-based confrontation," Xi said in Putrajaya, Malaysia's administrative capital. "Together, we will safeguard the bright prospects of our Asian family."

This diplomatic momentum was reinforced by a joint statement released on Thursday, in which China and Malaysia agreed to strengthen collaboration in the areas of industry, supply chains, data and talent. They pledged to implement their Five-Year Economic and Trade Cooperation Program and to build a "high-level strategic community between Malaysia and China".

In another veiled criticism of the US, the Chinese leader reiterated his call to combat unilateralism in an article published in the Cambodian media on Thursday, ahead of his arrival in the capital.

"Together, we must oppose hegemony and power politics," he wrote, adding that the two neighbors must resolutely oppose any attempts by outside forces to interfere in our internal affairs and sow discord.

Xi's comments were made at a time when Beijing is facing an escalating trade war with the US. Bloomberg News reported that Washington is preparing to ask countries to take measures to limit China's industrial might, including imposing so-called secondary tariffs on Chinese products in exchange for tariff concessions.

(Photo DR)