Full text: Address by Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang at opening ceremony of 23rd China-ASEAN Expo, China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit
Published: September 18, 2026
Sources & Verification
Primary Source
State Council of the People's Republic of China (address by Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang) — Official document ↗
CPG Analysis
AI-assisted summary of the official source linked above, pending human review.
Verification
AI-assisted summary · generated Sep 18, 2026 · pending human review
This summary was generated by AI from the linked official source. It has not been reviewed line-by-line by a human editor.
⚠ This is a policy signal, not a confirmed rule.
No immediate compliance change has been identified. Monitor for official implementation documents.
⚡ Impact at a Glance
Who is affected
Cross-border trade, logistics and shipping, manufacturing and supply chains, digital economy and AI, green/environmental goods and services, services sector
Cities / Agencies
Nanning and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; nationwide relevance through ASEAN trade corridors · State Council of the People's Republic of China (address by Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang)
What to do now
Monitor only — no action required
Source & verification
gov.cn · AI-assisted summary · generated Sep 18, 2026 · pending human review
What to watch next
MOFCOM: CAFTA 3.0 Upgrade Protocol implementing measures and formal entry-into-force notice; MOFCOM/NDRC: service-sector market access opening measures and revised negative list; GACC (General Administration of Customs): rules of origin, tariff schedule and customs facilitation notices under CAFTA 3.0; State Council: RCEP-CAFTA synergy policy documents; Guangxi provincial government: Pinglu Canal, Beibu Bay and New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor logistics policies
Executive Summary
On September 17, 2026, Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang addressed the opening of the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Nanning, confirming that the CAFTA 3.0 Upgrade Protocol has been formally signed and that both sides are now completing domestic legal procedures to bring it into force. He set out four priorities: broader regional opening, upgraded trade and investment cooperation, new areas such as the digital and green economies, and better physical and institutional connectivity. The speech signals China's intention to expand market access, especially in services, and to deepen ASEAN trade and investment links, but it does not itself create any binding obligation.
Key Points
The CAFTA 3.0 Upgrade Protocol has been formally signed by China and ASEAN; both sides are now going through their respective legal procedures to expedite its entry into force, after which it will work in synergy with RCEP.
Trade between China and ASEAN exceeded US$1 trillion in 2025, an 18-fold increase over 2002; China has been ASEAN's largest trading partner for 17 straight years while ASEAN has been China's largest for six, with cumulative two-way investment surpassing US$510 billion.
Ding outlined four proposals: comprehensive opening-up through harmonized standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment; upgraded trade and investment liberalization; deeper cooperation in digital and green economy areas; and more efficient connectivity.
China pledged to expand high-standard opening up and market access, particularly in the service sector, to import more ASEAN products, and to increase two-way investment cooperation.
In emerging areas, the two sides will pursue digital economy development, joint technology R&D and applications in AI, and removal of trade barriers to environmental goods and services.
On connectivity, the Pinglu Canal linking Nanning to the Beibu Bay opened on September 16, cutting the transport distance between Southwest China's hinterland and ASEAN by 560 kilometers; over 60 percent of China-ASEAN goods trade moves by sea.
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