The official cited discussions held at a teleconference on Sunday, to which ASEAN economic ministers and their leading trading partners, China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, participated.

The meeting took place in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of a meeting of the ASEAN Economic Community Council.

Pichai said the meeting focused on the need for the association and its trading partners to further support its multilateral trading system, which is based on predictability, transparency, freedom, fairness, inclusiveness, and sustainability.

He said, “China, ASEAN, and Thailand, in particular, are working to speed up the signing of an improved ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement so that it can be signed this year.”

The commerce minister added that during talks with Japan, Thailand also proposed to expand collaboration in the semiconductor industry to help the regional bloc become a key manufacturing hub.

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