SHANGHAI (Reuters): China and the Association of South-East Asian Nations have agreed to submit a pact upgrading their free trade areas to their leaders for approval in October, according to China's foreign minister Wang Yi on Saturday.
Negotiations about the so-called 3.0 version of the free trade zone started in November 2022 and were completed in May, seeking to cover areas such as the digital economy, green economy and supply chain connectivity.
China and ASEAN also agreed on a five-year action plan that specifies collaboration between the two sides in over 40 fields in the coming years, according to a statement published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, citing Wang's comments after attending the East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.
Wang also said the two sides agreed to strive to complete consultations next year on a code of conduct in the South China Sea - a set of guidelines aiming to manage disputes in the region, where Beijing and several Asean members have overlapping maritime claims.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday he had "positive and constructive" talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as the two major powers vied to push their agendas in Asia at a time of tension over Washington's tariff offensive.
The top US diplomat was in Malaysia on his first Asia trip since taking office, seeking to stress the US commitment to the region at the East Asia Summit and Asean Regional Forum, where many countries were reeling from a raft of steep U.S. tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump this week.
Rubio also had his first in-person talks with China's foreign minister, which came after Beijing warned Washington against reinstating hefty levies on its goods next month and threatened retaliation against nations that strike deals with the US to cut China out of supply chains.
(Reporting by Shanghai and Beijing Newsrooms; Editing by William Mallard) - Reuters
