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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Beijing, October 28 (Xinhua) — The signed Protocol on Upgrading the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA) to Version 3.0 will inject greater confidence and impetus into regional and global economic growth, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday.
The protocol was signed on Tuesday morning in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ahead of the 28th China-ASEAN Leaders' Meeting in the presence of Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
In the face of serious challenges to the rules-based international economic and trading system, this protocol demonstrates China and ASEAN's shared strong commitment to multilateralism and free trade, a Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said in a statement.
He added that cooperation under the China-ASEAN FTA and regional economic integration will go beyond traditional trade and investment liberalization and facilitation to encompass a range of new areas, including the digital economy, green economy, standards, and industrial and supply chains.
This upgrade marks the final stage of the China-ASEAN FTA upgrade, which was initiated in 2002 and fully implemented in version 1.0 in 2010. The subsequent Protocol version 2.0 was signed in 2015 and entered into full force in 2019. Negotiations for the upgrade to version 3.0 began in November 2022 and were successfully concluded in May 2025.
Deepening trade ties have played a significant role in the region's development. China has remained ASEAN's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, while ASEAN has been China's largest trading partner for the past five years. In 2024, bilateral trade reached $982.3 billion, 18 times the 2002 level.
According to the official representative, the new protocol provides for in-depth cooperation in new areas, comprehensively increases the level of openness and promotes inclusive development.
This update mainly covers nine key areas, including not only existing areas such as customs procedures and trade facilitation, standards, and economic and technical cooperation, but also promising new areas such as the digital economy, green economy, supply chain connectivity, competition and consumer protection, and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
Following the signing of the protocol upgrading the FTA to version 3.0, China and ASEAN member states will begin relevant domestic approval procedures to ensure the protocol enters into force as soon as possible, the official added. -0-
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