DANANG ~ A new regional trade pact with China is on track despite reservations from countries such as Indonesia, the ASEAN secretary general said on Thursday.

The agreement between China and Southeast Asia took full effect on January 1, liberalising billions of dollars in trade and investments in a market of 1.7 billion consumers.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) chief Surin Pitsuwan said Indonesia’s trade ministry had sent ASEAN a letter expressing some “difficulties.”

But he said there had been “no appeal for any change or any renegotiation” of the landmark pact to establish the world’s largest free trade area by population.

“We want to know how much difficulty our member states are in but, so far, I think it’s manageable and the most important thing is to keep the momentum on course,” he said on the sidelines of an ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting.