News Analysis
Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have signed an upgraded free trade pact with Beijing, a significant move amid intensifying U.S.–China rivalry that experts warn could expose the bloc to “origin washing” penalties, industrial hollowing-out, and eroded economic sovereignty.
The pact, officially titled the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) 3.0 Upgrade Protocol, was formalized in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 28, at a ceremony on the final day of the annual ASEAN summit witnessed by Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The move is widely seen as part of Beijing’s push to expand its dominance over the 11-member bloc….
ASEAN’s Increasing China Ties Threaten Economic Sovereignty of Member States: Experts
