China to work with ASEAN to build more inclusive, mutually beneficial FTA: official

China will continue to work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to build a more inclusive, mutually beneficial, modern, inclusive, and comprehensive Free Trade Area (FTA), an official with China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said in Beijing on Thursday.

Leaders from China and the ASEAN on Thursday announced the substantial conclusion of Version 3.0 China-ASEAN FTA upgrade negotiations and issued a joint statement at the 27th China-ASEAN Summit in the Lao capital city of Vientiane.

According to the ministry, the substantial conclusion of the negotiations represents a significant step forward for the FTA towards a more mutually beneficial, modern, inclusive, and comprehensive direction.

"The two sides have, for the first time, reached the highest level of provisions on digital economy, green economy, and interconnected supply chains in their respective economic and trade agreements, which will promote the digitalization and green transformation of both sides, with pioneering significance. Furthermore, a dedicated chapter on competition and consumer protection has been established for the first time, which will foster a more favorable market environment for economic and trade exchanges between the two sides," said Chen Zhiyang, deputy head of the MOC Department of International Economic and Trade Relations.

The negotiations will bring benefits to businesses and the general public on both sides, promoting trade facilitation and inclusive development, Chen added.

"The two sides have committed to jointly promoting the free flow of key products and services, enhancing the interconnected construction of infrastructure, and collaborating to address issues such as supply chain disruptions. This will help build a secure, stable, smooth, and efficient regional production and supply chain cooperation network. Through the 3.0 version of the agreement, the two sides will enhance openness, elevate the level of economic and trade cooperation, and inject new impetus into economic globalization," said Chen.

China to work with ASEAN to build more inclusive, mutually beneficial FTA: official

The U.S. State Department announced Wednesday that it is pausing immigrant visa processing from 75 countries.

The measure will apply to "countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates. The freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people," the department said on X.

The pause impacts countries including Somalia, Haiti, Iran and Eritrea, "whose immigrants often become public charges on the United States upon arrival," said the State Department.

Earlier on Wednesday, the department announced in a memo that it would suspend visa processing for 75 countries, including Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand and Yemen, according to a Fox News report.

The pause will begin Jan. 21 and will continue indefinitely until the department conducts a reassessment of visa processing, the report said. The move came after the White House announced on Tuesday that it is ending temporary protected status for Somali immigrants amid fraud allegations in Minnesota.

On Monday, the State Department announced on social media that it had revoked over 100,000 visas since U.S. President Donald Trump took office nearly a year ago.

In November 2025, Trump announced his intention to permanently suspend immigration from what he described as "Third World countries", following the death of a National Guard member after being shot near the White House by an Afghan national.

U.S. freezes immigrant visa processing from 75 countries