Promoting FTA Upgrades

From November 12 to 16， Premier Li Keqiang made a five-day official visit to Singapore. During the visit， Li attended the 21st China-ASEAN （10+1） leaders meeting， the 21st ASEAN-China， Japan and the Republic of Korea （10+3） leaders meeting and the 13th East Asia Summit.

“Upgrading the free trade area" was Premier Li Keqiangs emphasis throughout his visit. Upon arrival in Singapore on November 12， Premier Li held a meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and witnessed the signing of the protocol to upgrade the China-Singapore free trade agreement （FTA）

On November 13， China and ASEAN countries completed all domestic approvals for an upgrade of the protocol of their FTA， signifying that the upgraded China-ASEAN FTA went into full effect.

Premier Li released this message at the 21st China-ASEAN Summit on November 14. This will further elevate the trade partnership between China and ASEAN members and send a clear signal of safeguarding multilateralism and free trade， the Premier said.

Pushing ahead with these free trade agreements， which are based on WTO rules， was an important part of Premier Li's visit.

When meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on the sidelines of a series of leaders meetings on East Asian cooperation in Singapore， Premier Li noted that the China-New Zealand FTA， signed in 2008， was the first FTA between China and a developed country.

Consensus made between Premier Li and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on November 14 caught media attention worldwide.

China stands ready to continue promoting FTA negotiations with Canada on the basis of mutual respect and in a flexible and pragmatic way， Premier Li said.

Trudeau told Premier Li that Canada is willing to work with China to push forward FTA talks， adding that his country will not be influenced by other countries positions.

Multilaterally， Premier Li attended the 2nd leaders' meeting on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership （RCEP）， where he stressed that related nations should build on momentum and unleash a strong finishing kick for the deal.

At the meeting with leaders of Southeast Asian nations， Japan and South Korea （10+3）， Premier Li also proposed speeding up talks on the RCEP and the trilateral FTA between China， Japan and South Korea.

“We should send a strong signal to the international community that we will continue to safeguard multilateralism and free trade，” the Premier stressed.

Premier Lis proposals kindled a big response from leaders at the meeting， and they all expressed intentions to maintain a rules-based multilateral trade system and oppose protectionism through joint action.

Free trade depends on a peaceful environment. During Premier Lis visit， China and 10 Southeast Asian nations made important progress on the Code of Conduct （COC） in the South China Sea.

Premier Li revealed that China and the 10 ASEAN nations had finished the first draft negotiating text， which will undergo its first round of review in 2019.