It’s the second upgrade of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) that was first inked in 2002 - making it then China’s first free trade agreement and ASEAN’s first with a major external partner. It then came into effect in 2010, with negotiations for the first upgrade starting in September 2014 and coming into force since 2019.

From the main plenary halls to the glitzy trade side meetings, China made its presence felt at the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday called for unity and coordination between China and ASEAN countries, citing “greater risks and challenges” posed by rising protectionism and external interference in the region.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim may have put ASEAN under global spotlight through his diplomatic engagements with US President Donald Trump in a recent summit, but questions remain over whether more tangible outcomes could be achieved during Malaysia’s chairmanship term.

At the close of this year’s ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. officially accepted the bloc’s chairmanship from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim — a symbolic handover that also placed on the Philippines' shoulders a set of regional problems with no easy fixes.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Thursday pledged to maintain China-South Korea relations from the perspective of ... In response to a question about Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr's remarks that it is regrettable that ...

Three days of talks at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Kuala Lumpur wrapped up on Tuesday, once again underscoring the competition between the United States and China for influence in Southeast Asia.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Southeast Asia for the ASEAN Summit is expected to spotlight Beijing’s shifting trade and diplomatic priorities in the region. The discussions come as the region navigates rising U.