Harsh trade measures may be driving would-be allies in China’s backyard away from Washington and back into the arms of Beijing.

China’s leader Xi Jinping started a week of diplomacy in Southeast Asia with a visit to Vietnam, signaling China’s commitment to global trade.

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.