BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) exceeded 1 trillion U.S. dollars for the first time last year, with bilateral trade value reaching 1.05 trillion U.S. dollars, up 7.4 percent year on year, an official said on Tuesday.
China has remained ASEAN's largest trading partner for 17 consecutive years, while ASEAN has been China's biggest trading partner for six successive years, China's Vice Minister of Commerce Yan Dong noted.
In the first seven months of 2026, total trade between China and ASEAN reached 744.41 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 24.7 percent year on year, accounting for 21.8 percent of China's total foreign trade during this period.
Bilateral investment cooperation between the two sides has continued to climb. As of July this year, both the cumulative two-way investment between China and ASEAN and the cumulative turnover of Chinese enterprises' contracted projects in ASEAN have exceeded 515 billion U.S. dollars, Yan said.
Yan made the comments at a press conference on the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo. Scheduled from Sept. 17 to 21, the expo will take place in Nanning, the capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The expo features over 2,200 Chinese enterprises and nearly 1,000 ASEAN companies. 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 (AI) exhibition area that was first launched last year. The area showcases cutting-edge AI technologies and applications across consumer, enterprise, government, and international dimensions. A new "AI marketplace" will also make its debut, featuring over 400 product models available for on-site trial and direct purchase.
Looking ahead, China 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, Wang Liping, an official with the Ministry of Commerce, told the conference.
The country 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, digital trade, and green trade, said Wang. ■
