China to work closely with ASEAN, GCC to advocate multilateralism, free trade: spokeswoman

China will work closely with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to advocate multilateralism and free trade, while opposing unilateralism and protectionism, Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokeswoman He Yongqian said on Thursday.

The spokeswoman made the statement at a press conference in Beijing in response to a media query about a joint statement adopted at a trilateral summit between China, ASEAN and the GCC.

In a historic move, the three sides on Tuesday convened a landmark trilateral summit in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia -- ASEAN's current chair -- marking a bold step toward collective resilience, economic synergy, and a shared vision for prosperity.

The summit adopted a joint statement, in which the relevant countries acknowledged their joint efforts to promote closer cooperation between China, ASEAN, and the GCC, and China's vision to build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future and a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era.

"The ASEAN-GCC-China Summit was held recently (Tuesday) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, during which a joint statement was adopted. China, ASEAN and the GCC are all major global economies whose economic structures are highly complementary to one another. Together, we have the potential to form a shared mega-size market where trade and investment are freer and more convenient. China and ASEAN countries have completed negotiations on the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA). We are moving forward with efforts to conclude a free trade agreement with the GCC at an early date. The prospects for cooperation are quite promising," said the spokeswoman.

"We will, through tripartite cooperation that is equal and mutually beneficial, open and inclusive, and practical and efficient, lead the efforts of the international community to jointly uphold multilateralism and free trade. We will resist unilateralism and protectionism, enhance the resilience of industrial and supply chains, and promote sustainable trade. We will jointly create new economic opportunities in emerging industries such as digital economy and green economy," she said.

China to work closely with ASEAN, GCC to advocate multilateralism, free trade: spokeswoman

The death toll from a landfill collapse in the central Philippine city of Cebu has risen to eight by Monday morning as search and rescue operations continued for another 28 missing people.

The landfill collapse occurred on Thursday as dozens of sanitation workers were working at the site. The disaster has already caused injuries of 18 people.

Family members of the missing people said the rescue progress is slow, and the hope for the survival of their loved ones is fading.

"For me, maybe I’ve accepted the worst result already because the garbage is poisonous and yesterday, it was raining very hard the whole day. Maybe they’ve been poisoned. For us, alive or dead, I hope we can get their bodies out of the garbage rubble," said Maria Kareen Rubin, a family member of a victim.

Families have set up camps on high ground near the landfill, awaiting news of their relatives. Some people at the site said cries for help could still be heard hours after the landfill collapsed, but these voices gradually faded away.

Bienvenido Ranido, who lost his wife in the disaster, said he can't believe all that happened.

"After they gave my wife oxygen, my kids and I were expecting that she would be saved that night because she was still alive. But the night came and till the next morning, they didn't manage to save her," he said.

Death toll in central Philippine landfill collapse rises to eight