BEIJING/WASHINGTON -- Tuesday's ASEAN summit offered China another opportunity to chip away at any opposition to its bid to join the CPTPP trade pact in a region that is home to four of its members.
In the virtual meeting with leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called for the bloc and China to deepen their economic integration and to bring the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership into effect as soon as possible. He proposed cooperation in areas including climate change, science and technology, and innovation, according to state news agency Xinhua.