Acting Commerce Minister Chutima Bunyapraphasara (Source: Bangkok Post)Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand is looking for India’s support in settling talks and concluding the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) by the end of this year, according to Acting Commerce Minister Chutima Bunyapraphasara.
At the fourth India-ASEAN Expo and Summit, scheduled for New Delhi on February 22-23, Chutima Bunyapraphasara will hold talks with Indonesian Minister of Trade Enggartiasto Lukita, ASEAN Secretary-General Paduka Lim Jock Hoi, and Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu to discuss Indian support to conclude the RCEP this year.
The discussions will focus on a backlog of issues, including the market access package on the exchange of goods and service items.
Other issues on the agenda are trade obstacles, the rule on origins, e-commerce, and intellectual trade competition.
The RCEP was launched in November 2012 with the aim of establishing deeper economic cooperation between the 10 members of ASEAN and Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea, focusing on trade in goods, services and investment.
If signed, the agreement will create an economic bloc with a combined population of 3.5 billion and account for 30 percent of the global trade.-VNA
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