This undated photo shows the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) in Beijing, capital of China. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

BEIJING - China is willing to further strengthen trade, investment and economic cooperation with ASEAN countries, the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.

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Addressing a press conference, spokesperson for the ministry Gao Feng said China intends to work with ASEAN countries to make full use of the relevant regional free trade arrangements and support trade and two-way investment among firms.

China's trade with ASEAN countries saw steady growth in the first five months of this year, showing the potential and resilience of bilateral trade, Gao noted.

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During the January-May period, ASEAN was China's largest trading partner with trade up by 4.2 percent year on year to 1.7 trillion yuan (about US$241 billion), accounting for 14.7 percent of China's total foreign trade, customs data showed.