STORY: China aims to clinch more free trade agreements to boost trade, investment
SHOOTING TIME: file
DATELINE: Jan. 29, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:46
LOCATION: Beijing
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of China-related footage
2. SOUNDBITE (English): MAK CHAMROEUN, Chairman of e-commerce platform AgriBee (Cambodia)

STORYLINE:

China has planned to step up efforts in enlarging its globally-oriented network of high-standard free trade areas in 2024.

China International Trade Representative and Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen told a recent press conference that the country had already inked 22 FTAs with 29 countries or regions, and the combined trade value involved accounted for one third of the country's total foreign trade value.

In a move to further share China's opening-up dividends and power regional economic growth, China will enhance efforts on FTA negotiations in 2024, according to Wang. 

With the negotiations on Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area pending this week in Hangzhou, Wang vowed efforts to strive to complete the negotiations this year.

The building of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area was completed in 2010. Customs data shows that trade between China and ASEAN since 2013 has logged an annual growth rate of 8.8 percent. In 2023, ASEAN remained China's largest trading partner for four straight years, and China was ASEAN's largest partner for several years as well.

Experts believed that the upcoming version of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area would also prompt the upgrade of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

SOUNDBITE (English): MAK CHAMROEUN, Chairman of e-commerce platform AgriBee (Cambodia)
"The purchase of the agricultural products from China has benefited millions of Cambodian farmers. Why? Because it helped to stabilize the market for farmers, it helped our farmers to generate more income, and the purchase can create more jobs for Cambodian people."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing.
(XHTV)