The Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN and China have signed an upgrade to their free trade agreement, which is expected to include sections on digital, green economy and other new industries. The 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations is China’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade totalling $771 billion last year, according to ASEAN statistics. China is seeking to intensify its engagement with ASEAN, a region with a collective gross domestic product of $3.8 trillion, to counter hefty import tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump’s administration on countries around the world.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Israeli forces shut down all entrances to Nablus

Israeli forces have shut down all entrances to the Old City in…

CENTCOM confirms over 200 personnel injured across 7 countries in war on Iran

Around 200 US military personnel have been injured in seven countries across…

Qatari, French ministers discuss Middle East stability at Swiss talks

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani…

Putin slams EU’s attempts to seize Russian assets as ‘robbery’

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the EU is “not succeeding…