With US President Donald Trump sending more tariff letters to trade partners, Beijing has stepped up efforts - like rallying its own trade partners - to collectively push back against Washington's trade protectionism.

From July 3 to 5, the 2025 ASEAN-China (Qingdao) Event of Economic and Trade Cooperation and People-to-People Exchanges took place at Qingdao Haitian Center under the theme "Blue Partnership for a Shared Future.

The slew of unprecedented high-level meetings held between top diplomats at the just concluded Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) underscores the relevance of Asean as a geopolitical middle ground,

The two major powers vied to push their agendas in Asia at a time of simmering tension over a U.S. trade tariffs offensive.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that against the backdrop of rampant unilateralism and protectionism, China and ASEAN countries are demonstrating a strong desire to support each other, unite and cooperate, and jointly meet challenges.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and China Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended separate meetings with their ASEAN counterparts in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday (Jul 10).

China has been a fierce critic of sweeping U.S. tariffs that Trump announced on April 2. He later delayed the implementation of most but China, which has said it will respond with its own tariffs on U.S. imports, now faces a deadline next month to negotiate a deal.