Impeached South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol is due to attend the first hearing on Monday of his criminal trial to face charges that he led an insurrection when he declared martial law late last year and plunged the country into months of turmoil.

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.

Xi starts a three-nation tour of Southeast Asia this week, beginning his state visits with Vietnam from April 14 to 15. The trip comes with an aim to consolidate economic ties with some of China's closest neighbours at a time when the world's top two economies are locked in a tariff tussle.