Chinese president calls for free trade during tour of Southeast Asia

China’s President Xi Jinping waving upon his arrival at the Bunga Raya VIP complex of Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia (Farhan Abdullah/AP)

China’s President Xi Jinping is making the case for free trade as he tours Southeast Asia this week, presenting China as a source of “stability and certainty”.

On Monday, he was welcomed to Hanoi with pomp and ceremony by Vietnam’s President Luong Cuong.