ASEAN and China pushing signing of ACFTA 3.0 trade deal this year

The coordinated push to conclude the updated ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement this year was agreed at the 17th ACFTA Joint Committee Meeting late last month via videoconference, Umaporn Futrakul, deputy director-general of the Thai Commerce Ministry’s Department of Trade Negotiations, told the media this week.

She was speaking after Thailand led the ASEAN member states in discussing the draft ACFTA 3.0 protocol with the Chinese team, headed by Lin Feng, director-general for International Trade and Economic Affairs at China’s Ministry of Commerce.

Umaporn said that ACFTA 3.0 could come into force over the next few months if China completes its required procedures, as seven ASEAN member states, including Thailand, have finalised their domestic procedures.

If so, the agreed protocol will be announced and endorsed by ASEAN and Chinese leaders at this year’s ASEAN-China Summit in November, according to the senior Thai official.

The deputy director-general noted that obligations and progress in implementing agreed issues under ACFTA were also reviewed and presented at the latest ACFTA Joint Committee Meeting, the first in three years.

China has been ASEAN’s top trading partner for 16 consecutive years, with bilateral trade valued at more than US$916 billion in 2025, an 18.59% year-on-year increase. Trade between the two sides was valued at more than US$238 billion in the first quarter of this year.

ASEAN’s major exports to the Chinese market include fruits, electrical appliances and accessories, mineral fuels, steel, nuclear reactors and related equipment, while major imports include plastic products, vehicles and parts, steel, electrical appliances and accessories, and nuclear reactors and related equipment.