In the container yard of Bangkok Port in 2026, durians freshly picked by Thai fruit farmers are labeled with electronic origin labels, ready to be sent to ports in southern China. With the implementation of version 3.0 of the ASEAN China Free Trade Agreement, the clearance speed of these fresh fruits will reach another level, and the dividends of regional connectivity are continuously being released through cross-border logistics networks.

The implementation of the new version of the agreement has entered the sprint stage

The negotiations for the upgrade of ACFTA 3.0 have been completed, and currently, Thailand and seven other ASEAN member countries have gone through the domestic approval process. After China completes the relevant legal procedures, the upgrade protocol will officially come into effect in 60 days. All parties plan to officially announce this achievement during the ASEAN China Leaders' Meeting in November 2026.

This is the first ACFTA Joint Committee meeting held by both sides since 2023. After three years of negotiations, a new framework covering digital trade, green trade, and supply chain connectivity has been established for regional economic and trade cooperation. By 2025, the total trade volume between ASEAN and China will reach 916.15 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 18.59%. The two sides have been each other's most important trading partners for 16 consecutive years.

The dividend of interconnectivity continues to cover the entire chain

Both sides are promoting the comprehensive conversion of tariff rules to the HS 2022 new coding system, and simultaneously constructing the Electronic Certificate of Origin Data Exchange System (EODES). Thailand and China have initiated technical consultations on the system, which will enable cross-border exchange of electronic data for certificates of origin in the future, significantly reducing the time and procedural costs for enterprises to obtain certificates.

The cooperation fund supported by China will also be open to member countries, with a focus on capacity building in new areas such as digital trade, green trade, and regional supply chain collaboration, helping enterprises quickly adapt to the new generation of trade rules. In the first three months of 2026, the total trade volume between ASEAN and China reached 238.45 billion US dollars, and the two-way industrial and supply chain connections remain close. As China's third largest trading partner in ASEAN, Thailand will further expand its export advantages in fruits, vegetables, and electromechanical products based on the new version of the agreement in the future. Keywords: interconnectivity, economic and trade cooperation

From tropical orchards to eastern coastal factories, ACFTA version 3.0 is building a more modern rule base for economic and trade cooperation in the the Belt and Road region, continuously enhancing the resilience of the regional industrial chain, and injecting long-term stability into the connectivity of billions of market players of both sides.Editor/Cheng Liting