Chinese President Xi Jinping and leaders from the European Union are scheduled to visit Vietnam in the coming weeks, amidst a flurry of diplomatic engagements due to increasing concerns over U.S. trade tariffs, according to officials.
China, the EU, and Vietnam all maintain significant trade surpluses with the United States and have recently encountered new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, with further announcements anticipated on Wednesday.
Xi Jinping is expected to meet with Vietnamese officials in Hanoi on April 14, as confirmed by two Vietnamese officials familiar with the arrangements, marking his second visit to the nation in under 18 months.
This multi-day trip to Vietnam is part of a broader Southeast Asian tour that will also include Cambodia and Malaysia, as noted by two diplomats. The Chinese foreign ministry declined to provide any details regarding the visit during a news briefing on Monday, and Vietnam’s foreign affairs ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
According to both Vietnamese sources, discussions will likely cover the development of railways connecting northern Vietnam with China, a project both nations have agreed to pursue to enhance connectivity and trade.
One source indicated that Xi’s visit comes at a time of “strategic adjustments by major countries,” highlighting the changes in Trump’s policies as a significant factor. Additionally, Vietnam is in the process of approving the use of China’s COMAC aircraft, with an industrial source suggesting that a formal approval could coincide with Xi’s visit. This could lead to Vietnamese airlines leasing or even purchasing Chinese commercial jets.
Just days prior to Xi’s arrival, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is scheduled to meet with Vietnamese leaders on April 9, followed by EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, as outlined in official schedules.
European officials and diplomats have indicated that French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are set to visit Hanoi in the coming weeks. In a video message to senior officials from the ASEAN bloc, delivered during their recent meeting in Vietnam’s capital, von der Leyen remarked, “The wave of tariffs and export restrictions is increasing… Our goal is to establish new avenues for trade and investment with reliable partners.”
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