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China willing to sign ASEAN-China Free Trade Upgrade Protocol

China stands ready to sign the ASEAN-China Free Trade Upgrade Protocol with regional countries as early as possible.

Illustrative photo (Photo: VNA)
Illustrative photo (Photo: VNA)

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) - Chinese President Xi Jinping has said that his country supports Malaysia as Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year and stands ready to sign the ASEAN-China Free Trade Upgrade Protocol with regional countries as early as possible.

Speaking during bilateral talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya on April 16 as part of his state visit to Malaysia, Xi affirmed that China and ASEAN will reject decoupling, supply disruption, tariff abuse, counter law of the jungle with openness, inclusiveness, solidarity and cooperation.

China will work with ASEAN to address instability and uncertainty in the world with the stability and certainty of Asia, he added.

He also said that Malaysia’s choice of ASEAN theme this year, “Inclusivity and Sustainability”, reflects its deep insight into the current international landscape.

ASEAN remains China’s largest trading partner with bilateral trade volume reaching over 1 trillion CNY (about 140 billion USD) in the first two months of this year, up 4% year-on-year and accounting for 15.8% of China’s total trade turnover./.

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