China and Vietnam expressed their support for maintaining a multilateral trade regime centered around the World Trade Organization in a joint statement issued on Tuesday at the end of a two-day visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China’s leader started a week of diplomacy in Southeast Asia to signal China’s commitment to global trade after U.S. President Trump upended the global economy.

China’s leader Xi Jinping has released a letter denouncing tariff and trade wars and urging the multilateral trading system, stable global industrial and supply chains, and open and