Olamon Sutaweton, Director of the Trade Negotiation Department of the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency that China's economic recovery will promote ASEAN's economic growth, and the upgrading of the construction of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area will help the development of the ASEAN region. On February 7, 2023, the first round of negotiations on the version 3.0 of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area was launched. Olamon said that the construction of version 3.0 of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area will promote both sides to expand production, strengthen regional connectivity, and deepen cooperation in industrial chain, supply chain and value chain to cope with the complex world economic situation. Olamon said that China has become the largest trading partner of Thailand and ASEAN for many consecutive years, and is an important export destination for ASEAN countries including Thailand, as well as an important source of foreign capital. According to the data released by the General Administration of Customs of China, ASEAN will continue to maintain the status of China's largest trading partner in 2022, with the total bilateral trade value reaching 6.52 trillion yuan, up 15%, accounting for 15.5% of China's foreign trade. Olamon said that in the context of the impact of the COVID-19 on international trade and logistics transportation, Thailand has paid more attention to connectivity construction. The project construction under China's "the Belt and Road" initiative has promoted connectivity between China and ASEAN countries. "The construction of the China-Laos-Thailand Railway will help Thailand build a land and maritime transport network connecting countries, obtain high-quality and low-cost raw materials, and increase Thailand's foreign investment opportunities." She said that Thailand has successively carried out cooperation with China's Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan, Hainan, Gansu and other places in trade, scientific and technological innovation, e-commerce and other fields. The two countries have similarities in the development strategies of industries such as automobiles, digital, agricultural biotechnology, automation and robotics. Thailand hopes to further strengthen cooperation with China and actively promote cooperation between Thailand's "Eastern Economic Corridor" and China's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In November 2022, China and ASEAN jointly announced the official launch of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 negotiation. The two sides agreed that the negotiations would cover trade in goods, investment, digital economy, green economy and other fields, and create a more inclusive, modern, comprehensive and mutually beneficial China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. (Xinhua News Agency)