Ministry of Commerce: Continue to deepen China-ASEAN cooperation in cutting-edge fields such as cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and green energy sources

Mars Finance News: On April 2, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, He Yaodong, said at a regular press conference that the Protocol on the Upgrade of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area Version 3.0 was officially signed on October 28 last year. The upgraded Version 3.0 follows new trends in the development of international economic and trade relations, and for the first time incorporates emerging areas such as the digital economy, the green economy, and interconnectivity in the production and supply chain into the framework. According to the provisions of the protocol, the agreement will enter into force after approval by China and at least five ASEAN member countries. At present, we are working with ASEAN member countries to accelerate domestic approval procedures for the protocol in parallel, striving to have the protocol come into effect and be implemented as soon as possible. Regarding how China and ASEAN countries will further deepen cooperation on industrial chains, we will fully release the effectiveness of the protocol, support Chinese digital and new energy enterprises in developing the ASEAN market in depth, and continuously deepen cooperation between the two sides in cutting-edge areas such as cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence, fintech, green equipment, and green power sources, so as to promote deep integration of the production and supply chain. (Global Times)