Beijing, China - Nov 11, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Press briefing in progress
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Guo Jiakun, spokesman, Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
"This year marks the fifth anniversary of the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership. Over the past five years, with guidance from Chinese and ASEAN leaders, cooperation has been robust and fruitful and stayed at the forefront of the region, delivering benefits to all our countries and peoples and contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in the region."
3. Reporters
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Guo Jiakun, spokesman, Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
"China looks to work with ASEAN countries at the summit to strengthen solidarity and mutual trust, build consensus on cooperation, bring into force the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol as early as possible, and deepen cooperation in AI, digital economy, energy security, connectivity, poverty reduction, development and so on to jointly build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home, and provide greater stability and certainty for the peace and development in the region."
5. Reporters

China expects to work with countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to push for the early entry into force of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.

Guo was requested to talk about China's expectations for the 29th China-ASEAN Summit, to be held in Manila, the Philippines, from November 15 to 16, which Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend.

"This year marks the fifth anniversary of the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership. Over the past five years, with guidance from Chinese and ASEAN leaders, cooperation has been robust and fruitful and stayed at the forefront of the region, delivering benefits to all our countries and peoples and contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in the region," Guo said.

Peace, development and prosperity are the greatest aspirations of the people in the region as the world enters a new period of turbulence and transformation, Guo noted.

"China looks to work with ASEAN countries at the summit to strengthen solidarity and mutual trust, build consensus on cooperation, bring into force the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol as early as possible, and deepen cooperation in AI, digital economy, energy security, connectivity, poverty reduction, development and so on to jointly build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home, and provide greater stability and certainty for the peace and development in the region," he said.

The upgraded free trade pact was officially signed on October 28, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ahead of the 28th China-ASEAN Summit. The China-ASEAN free trade area was initiated in 2002 and fully implemented as Version 1.0 in 2010. A subsequent Version 2.0 protocol was signed in 2015 and came into full effect in 2019. Negotiations for the Version 3.0 upgrade began in November 2022 and were successfully concluded in May 2025.