The Ministry of Commerce introduces the latest developments in China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0

On the afternoon of April 2nd, the Ministry of Commerce held a routine press conference. A media representative asked about the progress made by the Ministry of Commerce in promoting the negotiations of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 under the current circumstances, and how China plans to further deepen cooperation with ASEAN countries in the fields of digital economy and green economy in terms of industry chains. In response, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, He Yadong, stated that the upgraded protocol for the 3.0 version of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area was officially signed on October 28th of last year. The upgraded 3.0 version aligns with the new trends in international economic and trade development, for the first time including digital economy, green economy, production and supply chains, and connectivity in the framework. According to the protocol, the agreement requires approval from China and at least five ASEAN member countries to take effect. Currently, we are simultaneously accelerating the domestic approval process of the protocol with ASEAN member countries, striving for its early implementation. He Yadong further explained, "Regarding the deepening of industry chain cooperation between China and ASEAN countries that you mentioned, we will fully unleash transportation efficiency, support Chinese digital and new energy companies to deepen their presence in the ASEAN market, continue to deepen cooperation in cutting-edge areas such as cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence, financial technology, green equipment, and green energy sources, and promote the deep integration of production and supply chains."