China, ASEAN to submit upgraded free trade deal to leaders in October

China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to submit a pact upgrading their free trade areas to their leaders for approval in October, according to China's foreign minister Wang Yi on Saturday.

Negotiations about the so-called 3.0 version of the free trade zone started in November 2022 and completed in May, seeking to cover areas such as the digital economy, green economy and supply chain connectivity.

China and ASEAN also agreed on a five-year action plan that specifies collaboration between the two sides in over 40 fields in the coming years, according to a statement published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, citing Wang's comments after attending the East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

Wang also said the two sides agreed to strive to complete consultations next year on a code of conduct in the South China Sea - a set of guidelines aiming to manage disputes in the region, where Beijing and several ASEAN members have overlapping maritime claims.