⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The upgrading of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) is expected to further enhance market access, strengthen supply chain connectivity, and expand cooperation in the digital and green economies, said head of a Malaysian-based think tank. On May 20, economic and trade ministers from China and ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states announced the full completion of Version 3.0 CAFTA negotiations. This enhanced agreement includes nine new chapters covering areas such as digital economy, green economy, supply chain connectivity, among others. The landmark move for China and ASEAN, two major developing economies, underscores the enduring value of open markets and multilateral cooperation. By unswervingly supporting free trade, it not only provides greater certainty for regional and global trade, but also serves as a model of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. Danial Rahman, CEO of the Malaysia-based Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute, an independent, non-partisan, and non-profit leadership development think tank, spoke to China Global Television Network (CGTN) about the impact of the original China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement. He pointed out that the much-anticipated upgrading of CAFTA marks a significant stride toward deepening bilateral engagement and regional economic integration, which is crucial for sustained growth of both economies. Shotlist: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - May 25, 2025: 1. Signs featuring 46th ASEAN Summit, flags; buildings; 2. Flag of ASEAN; 3. Outside of meeting venue; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Recent 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Danial Rahman, CEO, Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (starting with shots 2-3): "The China ASEAN free trade agreement was established in 2010. It has been almost 15 years now and it's marked one of the significant milestones because it was one of China's first free trade agreements with a foreign nation. And it created one of the world's largest FTAs by population of approximately 1.9 billion people. And that really boosted the economic opportunity and growth for all parties involved. "; 5. Various of inside of venue of summit; 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Danial Rahman, CEO, Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute: "And the original agreement, just to kind of take a stock check, covered tariff reduction on goods, market access on services and investment, and cooperation in areas like agriculture as well as technology. So moving forward we saw in October last year, which was a couple of months ago, the conclusion of the CAFTA (China-ASEAN Free Trade Area) 3.0 Upgrade Negotiations. And there are four areas in which negotiations and enhancement of the free trade agreement is seen to be will come from. Firstly, it's broadening market access. So for the reduction of tariffs and non-tariff barriers. Second, supply chain connectivity which is to look at infrastructure and logistics and especially in areas like healthcare technology, medical devices and so on. Digital economic cooperation, I think we talked about this, and we can see e-commerce and digital trade is something really important. Of course, green economy initiative, so renewable energy, sustainable urban development, sustainable buildings, so on and so forth."; FILE: Qinzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, south China - Date Unknown 7. Aerial shots of freight trains, containers; FILE: Vientiane, Laos - July 26, 2024 8. Freight train moving; FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown 9. Aerial shots of containers, cranes, ships at port. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]