ASEAN, partners to start FTA talks in November

The economic ministers of the ASEAN member countries and their regional counterparts have agreed to start negotiations on a new regional free trade agreement called Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in November.
The economic ministers of the ASEAN member countries and their regional counterparts have agreed to start negotiations on a new regional free trade agreement called Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in November.

The partners include Australia, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand.

A joint statement after their meeting in the Cambodian province of Siem Reap on August 30 said the RCEP is expected to transform the region into an integrated market comprising over 3 billion people with a combined gross domestic product of about 17.23 trillion USD.

The ministers pledged to turn the RCEP into a model agreement which helps promote growth, development and integration among participating countries.-VNA

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