Manila, Oct. 28 -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China signed on Tuesday morning the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) 3.0 Upgrade Protocol.

The signing took place on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings and was witnessed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and other ASEAN leaders.

In an intervention speech at the ASEAN-China Summit here, Marcos said the Philippines is hopeful that the ACFTA would help alleviate economic uncertainties in the region.

"On the economic front, we welcome the just-concluded signing of the and hope that this will enable us to modernize trade practices and effectively respond to emerging economic challenges," he said.

Malacana...