The 2025 Seminar on Innovative Implementation of China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) 3.0 officially commenced in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on Nov. 24.

Hosted by China's Ministry of Commerce and organized by the Secretariat of the China-ASEAN Expo, the seminar brought together 41 participants from nine-member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)—Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam—as well as representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat.

The five-day seminar features a series of special lectures on topics including the CAFTA 3.0 upgrade and cooperation opportunities, prospects for China-ASEAN cooperation in the green economy, and the role of the China-ASEAN Expo in supporting the free trade area.

The seminar also includes field visits to key sites such as the China-ASEAN Countries Artificial Intelligence Application Cooperation Center, the Youyiguan Port (Friendship Pass) at the China-Vietnam border, and the high-tech industrial development zone of Chongzuo, Guangxi.

The CAFTA 3.0 Upgrade Protocol has been formally signed, according to Cheng Gong, deputy secretary-general of the China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat.

He highlighted the timely relevance of the seminar and noted that the event would help stakeholders deepen their understanding of the upgraded free trade framework and facilitate its innovative implementation.

Speaking at the seminar on behalf of the participants, an official from the ASEAN Secretariat highlighted the ongoing deepening of economic and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN, noting that the two sides have been each other's largest trading partners for many consecutive years.

The signing of the CAFTA 3.0 Upgrade Protocol ushered in a new chapter in the China-ASEAN partnership, according to the official, who expressed hope that both sides would accelerate cooperation to foster sustained regional prosperity.