This file photo shows participants walk outside the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center, the venue of the 19th China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Sept 16, 2022. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

KUNMING - The opening ceremony of the third round of negotiations on Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA) was held Sunday in Kunming, the capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, said the Ministry of Commerce.

About 370 officials from relevant authorities of China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, as well as the ASEAN Secretariat, attended the negotiations, which last from June 24 to June 27.

China is ready to work with ASEAN countries to jointly improve the level of open cooperation in Version 3.0 China-ASEAN FTA, and build an inclusive, modern, comprehensive, and mutually beneficial agreement, said Wang

The Version 3.0 China-ASEAN FTA will further upgrade the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and ASEAN countries, said Vice-Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen at the opening ceremony.

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Efforts will be made to enhance China-ASEAN cooperation in the digital and green economy, as well as the supply and industrial chains, in a bid to boost the high-quality development of bilateral economic and trade relations and the regional economic integration, Wang added.

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China is ready to work with ASEAN countries to jointly improve the level of open cooperation in Version 3.0 China-ASEAN FTA, and build an inclusive, modern, comprehensive, and mutually beneficial agreement, said Wang.

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In November 2022, China and ASEAN jointly announced the official launch of the negotiations. The two sides agreed that the negotiations will cover the fields including trade in goods, investment, and digital and green economy, so as to build a more inclusive, modern, comprehensive, and mutually beneficial China-ASEAN FTA.