Xi Jinping has urged Vietnam to resist “unilateral bullying” and uphold free and open 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.

China's President Xi Jinping on Monday urged Vietnam to cooperate in preserving global supply chains amid disruptions caused by U.S. tariffs, as he kicks off a three-nation trip to Southeast Asia in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping said there were no winners in a trade war, in his first public comments on the matter since President Trump’s “Liberation Day” announcement last week. “There are no winners in a tariff war.