Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – On October 28, witnessed by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul and Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao, representing ASEAN and China, signed the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 upgrade fully demonstrates the two sides' solemn commitment to supporting multilateralism and free trade, and their firm determination to jointly build an open, inclusive, rules-based regional integrated market and a mutually beneficial, resilient regional production and supply chain system. It will create abundant market and industrial cooperation opportunities for businesses on both sides and around the world, injecting strong confidence and momentum into regional and even global economic growth, and serving as an important model for countries to jointly address international economic and trade challenges.
ASEAN and China began the process of developing the Free Trade Area in 2002. Construction of Version 3.0 officially began in November 2022, and negotiations were fully completed in May 2025. The upgraded ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 covers nine areas, including the digital economy, green economy, supply chain connectivity, standards and technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, customs procedures and trade facilitation, competition and consumer protection, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and economic and technical cooperation.
After the signing of the protocol, both sides will carry out their respective domestic approval procedures to ensure its early entry into force and implementation. (End)
