Chinese vice premier calls for higher-level China-ASEAN Free Trade Area

Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang on Thursday called for efforts to build a higher-level China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA), saying the implementation of the CAFTA 3.0 Upgrade Protocol will inject new momentum into regional economic development.

Ding made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Ding said the CAFTA is an important platform for building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future. The free trade area has operated steadily and achieved fruitful results, effectively promoting regional economic integration and bringing tangible benefits to people in the region.

He called for efforts to raise the level of regional opening up, improve cooperation frameworks and institutional arrangements, deepen cooperation in standards and technical regulations, and accelerate the development of an open, inclusive and rules-based regional integrated market.

China and ASEAN should also upgrade trade and investment cooperation, strengthen confidence and resolve in jointly addressing international economic and trade challenges, further expand the depth and breadth of cooperation, and jointly maintain the stability of regional and global industrial and supply chains, Ding said.

He called for deeper cooperation in emerging areas, including the digital economy and artificial intelligence applications, as well as greater trade in environmental products and services, in a bid to foster new engines for high-quality regional economic development.

Ding also stressed the need to make connectivity more convenient and efficient. China and ASEAN should make full use of their geographical advantages, advance the construction of railways, roads, ports and airports in a coordinated manner, remove bottlenecks in cross-border logistics, and advance the high-quality development of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

Ding announced the opening of the expo and joined other guests in launching the event. After the opening ceremony, he visited the exhibition halls and interacted with representatives of participating enterprises.

On Thursday afternoon, Ding met separately with Vice President of Myanmar U Nyo Saw, Politburo Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc, and Politburo Member of the Central Committee of the Lao's People's Revolutionary Party, Deputy Prime Minister and Standing Member of the Cabinet Saleumxay Kommasith.

Ding said China is ready to work with all parties to follow the important consensus reached by the leaders of the countries concerned, strengthen high-level exchanges, align development strategies, expand practical cooperation and enhance people-to-people exchanges, so as to build a closer community with a shared future and make greater contributions to regional and global prosperity and stability.

The foreign officials spoke highly of China's role in promoting regional development and expressed their willingness to deepen cooperation with China in infrastructure, trade and investment, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and better benefit the people on both sides.

During his stay in Guangxi, Ding also visited the China-ASEAN Center for Artificial Intelligence Application Cooperation and Guangxi Critical Metals Research Institute to learn about artificial intelligence cooperation and development, as well as ecological and environmental protection and governance.