A new study published in the Agriculture and Development Notes (ADN) of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) reveals that the Asean-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) has brought significant growth to regional trade, but its benefits for agriculture are unevenly distributed across Southeast Asian countries.

China’s upgraded trade pact with ASEAN promises deeper markets and tech ties, but rising regional dependence, local pushback and ongoing US-China rivalry could test the limits of its benefits, says researcher Genevieve Donnellon-May.

The China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol, which was formally signed on Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will create abundant market and industrial cooperation opportunities for enterprises from both sides as well as countries around the world.

The Protocol was signed during the 28th ASEAN-China Summit, held on October 28 in the capital city of Malaysia.

The China-ASEAN relationship has become the most successful and dynamic model of cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, Lü Daliang, spokesperson of the General Administration of Customs (GAC), said on Monday during a press conference in Beijing.

China's import and export volume with ASEAN countries hit a record high in the first eight months, official data showed on Tuesday, highlighting ever- closer trade and economic relations with the region.

As the United States presses its“reciprocal tariffs” campaign against ASEAN members, Washington's hard-nosed trade tactics are sending ripples far beyond the negotiating rooms of Singapore, Jakarta and Hanoi.

From 'ASEAN+' to 'China-ASEAN+': a new paradigm for cross-regional cooperation

The strengthening of ASEAN–China economic collaboration will lead to a changed Southeast Asian development pathway by 2025 that transforms the region into a complex network of supply chains and high-speed infrastructure along with established trade systems.

Guangxi, a key gateway for China to advance high-level opening-up and promote cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is poised to facilitate access to the vast markets of both ASEAN and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership countries.