China-ASEAN trade set to soar

Region likely to emerge as 'growth pole' on freer flow of investment and deepening ties

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a bloc that constitutes China's third largest trading partner, will exploit a variety of opportunities to further tap China's market, given the encouraging bilateral trade performance last year, an official said.

"ASEAN expects more opportunities to export products like some agricultural products to China. Thailand, for instance, hopes for more exports of frozen seafood and beverages to China as tariff on the two kinds are already reduced but exports are still low," said Sakarn Saensopa, consul (commercial) at the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Nanning, capital city of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.