Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, front right, and Chinese Premier Li Qiang, front left, arriving ahead of the signing ceremony for the Asean-China Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade and the Asean-China summit, held as part of the Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. - AP
KUALA LUMPUR: China signed an expanded version of a free trade agreement Tuesday (Oct 28) with Asean, with Chinese Premier Li Qiang pitching expanded economic ties with his country as an alternative to the protectionist policies of US President Donald Trump.
Li Qiang told an Asean-China summit meeting after the signing that closer cooperation could help overcome global economic uncertainties. He said "pursuing confrontation instead of solidarity brings no benefit” in the face of economic coercion and bullying, in a swipe at the US.
