Xi Jinping has appealed to Vietnam to join China in upholding multilateral trade, as he begins a high-stakes diplomatic tour of the region’s major export-reliant economies in a bid to position his country as a stable partner in contrast to the United States.

Although President Trump has paused some tariffs, China was the outlier, as he has kept in place 145 percent tariffs on the world’s second-largest economy.

President Xi Jinping’s first overseas trip of the year was meant to showcase China’s clout in the region. Now, President Donald Trump’s tariff threats have turned it into a push to keep Southeast Asian leaders from cutting deals at Beijing’s expense.