After years of unremitting efforts, China has signed FTAs with 18 partners along the Belt and Road, including 10 ASEAN members, Chile, and New Zealand. One of the FTAs is the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which is the largest free trade agreement in terms of population, trade volume and growth potential. China is also actively advancing negotiations on China-ASEAN FTA 3.0. FTA negotiations or upgrade talks are under way between China and 25 Belt and Road countries including Korea, Singapore, the GCC, Israel, and Nicaragua. We are working actively to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA). Joint feasibility study on potential FTAs between China and five Belt and Road partner countries such as Papua New Guinea and Bangladesh. Last February, we concluded China-Ecuador FTA negotiations, which is the latest outcome of FTA cooperation between China and Belt and Road countries.

Going forward, MOFCOM will continue to develop FTAs with China’s trading partners, including those along the Belt and Road, featuring wider coverage, higher quality and greater benefits. We will further strengthen the globally oriented network of high-standard FTAs. To expand the coverage, we will push for the accession to CPTPP and DEPA, continue to move forward with the ongoing FTA negotiations and upgrade talks and sign more FTAs with interested countries. To enhance the quality, we will further open up market access and play an active role in making rules in emerging sectors such as digital economy and environmental protection. To deliver more benefits, we will step up efforts to enhance the awareness and knowledge of FTAs and contribute to maintaining stable regional and global industrial and supply chains through sound implementation of FTAs so as to bring more benefits to businesses and peoples of China and our FTA partners. Thank you.