( October 28, 2025, 03:30 GMT | Official Statement) -- MLex Summary: China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed the Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol on Tuesday. The agreement was inked in Kuala Lumpur by Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Aziz, representing ASEAN, in the presence of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and other ASEAN leaders. Covering nine areas — including the digital and green economies, supply-chain connectivity, standards and technical regulations, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, customs and trade facilitation, competition and consumer protection, micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, and economic and technical cooperation — the protocol aims to deepen regional integration and modernize existing trade rules. Both sides will now carry out domestic ratification procedures to bring the agreement into force as soon as possible.The statement follows:...
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