China's trade with Asean member countries exceeded US$1 trillion for the first time last year, Vice Minister of Commerce Yan Dong said on Tuesday.

The value of bilateral trade reached US$1.05 trillion, up 7.4 percent.

China has remained Asean's largest trading partner for 17 consecutive years, while the region has been China's biggest trading partner for six successive years, Yan noted.

In the first seven months of 2026, total trade between China and Asean reached US$744.41 billion, an increase of 24.7 percent, accounting for 21.8 percent of China's total foreign trade.

Bilateral investment cooperation between the two sides has continued to climb.

As of July, both the cumulative two-way investment between China and Asean and the cumulative turnover of Chinese enterprises' contracted projects in Asean have exceeded US$515 billion, Yan said.

He was speaking at a press conference on the 23rd China-Asean Expo. Scheduled from September 17 to 21, the expo will take place in Nanning, the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The expo features more than 2,200 Chinese enterprises and nearly 1,000 Asean firms.

For the first time, a dedicated exhibition area will showcase the technological and application needs of Asean countries, enabling Chinese enterprises to engage in targeted business matching based on these displayed demands.

This year's expo will upgrade the artificial intelligence exhibition area that was first launched last year.

The area will showcase cutting-edge AI technologies and applications across consumer, enterprise, government, and international dimensions.

A new "AI marketplace" will also make its debut, featuring more than 400 product models available for on-site trial and direct purchase.

Looking ahead, Beijing will actively promote the early entry into force and implementation of the China-Asean Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol, signed in October 2025, and facilitate the delivery of cooperation in key areas such as digital economy and green development, Ministry of Commerce official Wang Liping said at the conference.

The nation will also expand imports of quality Asean goods to boost bilateral trade volumes, and explore new space for cooperation in emerging fields, with a strong push for trade in services, as well as digital and green trade, said Wang. (Xinhua)


Edited by Aaron Tam