Li calls for action on free trade area upgrade

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (second from right) links his hands with ASEAN leaders Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (left), Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (second from left) and Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (right) for a group photo before the 16th China-ASEAN Summit in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, on Wednesday. Vincent Thian / Associated Presse

Premier Li Keqiang met leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Wednesday and urged the two sides to start establishing an "upgraded version" of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.

Based on booming bilateral business in the past 10 years, promoting trade in goods and services, increasing investment cooperation and advancing trade and investment liberalization and facilitation are among the measures driving relations between the two sides.

The premier said China will strive to increase the bilateral trade volume to $1 trillion by 2020. Meanwhile, mutual investment is expected to hit $150 billion in the coming eight years.

"China and ASEAN should strive for extensive, deep and high-level cooperation in the upcoming decade," Li said in a speech at the meeting. And the proposed upgraded China-ASEAN Free Trade Area is one important part of boosting cooperation between the two sides.

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN strategic partnership, with bilateral trade witnessing a significant increase.

China is now ASEAN's largest trading partner, while ASEAN ranks as China's third-largest trading partner.

Trade value between China and ASEAN reached $400.1 billion last year, nearly six times the level 10 years ago. In the first half of 2013, the figure was $210.56 billion, a year-on-year increase of 12.2 percent.