Asia-Pacific Economies May Sign Free Trade Deal In Coming Days - Chinese Premier

Asia-Pacific Economies May Sign Free Trade Deal in Coming Days - Chinese Premier

Southeast Asian nations and their partners may sign the world's largest free trade deal by the end of the week, China's Premier Li Keqiang said during an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit

BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2020) Southeast Asian nations and their partners may sign the world's largest free trade deal by the end of the week, China's Premier Li Keqiang said during an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) came to the fore after the United States pulled out of talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. It seeks to slash import tariffs and streamline the movement of goods across the region.

"There is hope that RCEP will be signed during the ongoing ASEAN summit. It will send a positive and clear message of regional and global economic integration," the senior Chinese official said via a video link.

The four-day summit kicked off in Hanoi on Thursday. It includes the 10 members of the Association of South East Asian Nations Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam as well as Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.