ASEAN and China will seize new opportunities under the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol to cultivate fresh growth drivers in digitalization, artificial intelligence, green industries and renewable energy, achieving greater mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, said ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn.
Speaking during a joint media interview at the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo, Kao Kim Hourn said the FTA 3.0 opportunities open new pathways for both sides to accelerate the building of an integrated market, pursue innovative cooperation and achieve shared prosperity, propelling high-quality cooperation into a new stage.
This year is a milestone year for China-ASEAN relations, marking the 5th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership and the 35th anniversary of dialogue relations. Over the past 35 years, ASEAN-China relations have developed steadily, with more than 60 cross-sectoral cooperation mechanisms under the three pillars of political security, economy, and social culture, yielding fruitful results across various fields. Over the past five years, ASEAN-China relations have continued to expand, deepen and consolidate. Kao Kim Hourn expressed confidence that driven by the FTA 3.0 opportunities, ASEAN-China economic and trade relations will become even closer, with cooperation areas continuously expanding.
In 2025, China-ASEAN trade volume surpassed $1 trillion for the first time, reaching $1.05 trillion, up 7.4% year on year. China has remained ASEAN's largest trading partner for 17 consecutive years, while ASEAN has been China's largest trading partner for 6 consecutive years. In the first eight months of this year, total trade between China and ASEAN reached 5.95 trillion yuan, up 20.6% year on year. Kao Kim Hourn said the data confirms the strength of bilateral relations, noting that despite various challenges, both sides have always moved forward hand in hand. He called for stronger coordination between the ASEAN-China FTA 3.0 and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership to provide greater facilitation for business trade and investment, especially helping micro, small and medium-sized enterprises participate more effectively in the deep integration of regional industrial and supply chains and gain tangible benefits from the FTA 3.0 opportunities.
Kao Kim Hourn spoke highly of the key role the China-ASEAN Expo has played in promoting trade, tourism and people-to-people exchanges between ASEAN countries and China. He said the expo has become an important platform for ASEAN to expand and deepen cooperation with China, building mutual trust for deeper practical cooperation. He expressed hope that the expo will continue to play a key role in translating the opportunities created by FTA 3.0 into stronger business partnerships, broader participation and new sources of growth, contributing to the common development and progress of ASEAN and China.
The Pinglu Canal has created a shorter, lower-cost and more convenient waterway connecting southwestern China with ASEAN. Kao Kim Hourn described it as a canal of great historical significance. He noted that large volumes of goods between ASEAN and China need to be transported through ports, and the Pinglu Canal will help reduce logistics costs, enhance transport stability and strengthen regional economic competitiveness, opening new opportunities for deeper practical cooperation.
Currently, ASEAN countries are advancing negotiations on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement. Kao Kim Hourn said that with the continuous development of the digital economy, digital cooperation is expected to become an important direction for future ASEAN-China cooperation. The ASEAN-China FTA 3.0 covers digitalization-related content, and he expressed hope that ASEAN and China will strengthen innovative cooperation and share the benefits of artificial intelligence, not only benefiting the business community but also the people of both sides, raising the overall level of digitalization in the ASEAN region.