BEIJING, Sept 9 — Trade between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and China reached US$597 billion (RM2.51 trillion) in the first seven months of this year, up 8.2 per cent year-on-year and accounting for 16.7 per cent of China’s total foreign trade during the period, according to the Chinese Commerce Ministry.
The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported Vice Commerce Minister Yan Dong as saying that China has remained Asean's top trading partner for 16 consecutive years, while Asean has been China's largest for five straight years.
In 2024, China's bilateral trade with Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore each exceeded US$100 billion (RM421 billion). In particular, trade with Vietnam and Malaysia surpassed US$200 billion (RM842 billion).
He said that negotiations on Version 3.0 of the China-Asean Free Trade Area (Cafta 3.0) have been concluded, marking the first time a comprehensive cooperation framework has been established to link both "hard connectivity" in digital infrastructure and "soft connectivity" in rules and standards, alongside upgraded regulations.
With steady progress in cooperation and the growing institutional benefits of trade and investment facilitation, the scope of China-Asean regional economic integration has been continuously expanded and deepened.
Yan added that the 22nd China-Asean Expo (Caexpo) will take place in Nanning, the capital of China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, from September 17 to September 21, with about 3,200 exhibitors from 45 countries expected to participate.
This year’s Caexpo will feature new exhibition areas, including those on artificial intelligence (AI), new quality productive forces, the blue economy, and premium foreign trade products, showcasing the latest achievements in China-Asean cooperation.
