From September 24 to 25, Vice Minister of Commerce Yan Dong attended the 24 AEM-MOFCOM consultation, the 28 AEM Plus Three Consultation, and the 13 East Asia Summit (EAS) Economic Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Heads of economic and trade Ministries from ASEAN Member States, ASEAN Dialogue Partners, and the ASEAN Secretary-General participated in the meetings, with the Minister of Trade and Industry of Timor-Leste attending as an observer.

At the meetings, Yan Dong actively introduced the Global Governance Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping and stated that China considers ASEAN as a priority for economic and trade cooperation both globally and in the region. He emphasized that China-ASEAN trade and economic cooperation is highly dynamic and has achieved remarkable results. China and ASEAN have been each other’s largest trading partners, with accumulated mutual investments exceeding USD 450 billion, and their industrial and supply chains are closely integrated. Yan Dong emphasized that China consistently upholds the principles of mutual benefit and friendship, actively participates in East Asian trade and economic cooperation, and firmly supports ASEAN centrality in regional cooperation. He also highlighted that unilateralism and protectionism are posing significant challenges to the global economy and the multilateral trading system. The Chinese side stands ready to work with all parties to jointly address challenges, resolutely safeguard international economic and trade rules, actively participate in in-depth reforms of the World Trade Organization (WTO), effectively respond to the current turmoil in international trade, and steadily advance global trade restructuring to achieve shared prosperity.

The AEM-MOFCOM Consultation welcomed the consensus reached on the ASEAN-China FTA 3.0 Upgrade Protocol, with expectations for its formal signing during the 28 ASEAN-China Summit in October 2025. The AEM Plus Three Consultation adopted the revised edition of the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Economic Cooperation Work Programme (2025–2026). During the EAS Economic Ministers’ Meeting, participants exchanged views on international and regional economic and trade developments.

During the meetings, Vice Minister Yan Dong also held bilateral meetings with Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry of Malaysia, Cham Nimul, Minister of Commerce of Cambodia, and Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri, Deputy Minister of Trade of Indonesia, discussing economic and trade issues of mutual interest.