BEIJING, May 23 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- China and the ASEAN countries have completed negotiations on the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA), sending a strong signal in support of free trade and open cooperation, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday, reported Xinhua.
"This is indeed good news," spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing in response to a related question, adding that it also marks a key step towards signing the CAFTA 3.0 upgrade protocol.
She noted that both China and ASEAN are firm supporters of economic globalisation and multilateralism, adding that CAFTA 3.0 will help China and ASEAN "further expand mutual opening up and jointly achieve prosperity and development."
--BERNAMA-XINHUA
