CHINESE Prime Minister Li Qiang called for deeper market integration with south-east Asia on Thursday during annual summit talks in the Laos capital of Vientiane. 

Meeting with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Mr Li said: “The global economy is still seeing a sluggish recovery, protectionism is rising and geopolitical turbulence has brought instability and uncertainty to our development. 

“Strengthening market co-ordination and synchronisation is an important direction for our further co-operation.”