Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also chairing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, amid Beijing's intensifying trade friction with the United States.



Xi arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday, following a visit to Vietnam. After a welcoming ceremony on Wednesday morning, the two leaders met at the prime minister's official residence near the capital Kuala Lumpur.



At the beginning of the meeting, Xi said that he is ready to work with Anwar to boost the high-level and strategic development of the China-Malaysia community with a shared future, and to further contribute to regional prosperity and stability.



Xi's last visit to Malaysia was in 2013. A Malaysian media outlet carried an opinion piece by the Chinese president ahead of the meeting, in which Xi said that China will stand with Malaysia and other ASEAN members to combat unilateralism and protectionism. He apparently made the remark with the US in mind.



US President Donald Trump's administration has hiked levies to 145 percent on Chinese imports. Trump has paused what he calls "reciprocal" tariffs on other countries, but has indicated he will impose high levies on Southeast Asian nations, with Cambodia being subject to 49 percent, Vietnam 46 percent and Thailand 36 percent.



China's trade with ASEAN is larger than its trade with the US. The country is apparently seeking to boost its influence in the region and strengthen cooperation with ASEAN members to reduce the impact of US tariffs on its export industry.