The new and impactful Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will create new trade opportunities among Asian countries and accelerate the region’s economic recovery. The world’s largest free trade agreement (FTA), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), went into effect January 1; and, as far as being a transformative agreement, the RCEP is a very big deal. The RCEP will create new trade opportunities among Asian countries and accelerate the region’s econ

The essential guide to RCEP for anyone establishing operations in Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand or Vietnam. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement entered into force on 1 January 2022 after almost a decade of negotiations. The agreement brings together Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealan

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) came into force in early 2022. Investment Monitor looks at the countries and sectors that will benefit the most. Following a decade of negotiation, 15 Asia-Pacific countries signed one of the biggest trade deals in history as 2020 drew to a close. Known as the RCEP, or the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, it set out to reduce business barriers in an area covering one-third of the world’s population and economi

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement took effect for most of the 15 member countries on January 1 It is the world’s largest free trade agreement, as it covers nearly a third of the global population and about 30 per cent of its global gross domestic product The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a free-trade agreement between the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) members plus Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand

When the Asia-Pacific Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) enters into force on 1 January 2022 it will create the world’s largest trading bloc by economic size. A new UNCTAD report examines the agreement’s impact on trade around the world. On 1 January 2022, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will enter into force. This free trade agreement includes 15 East Asian and Pacific Nations of different economic sizes and stages of development, repre

Excellent resource by Adrianople Group research team - Open Zone Map is the world’s first comprehensive attempt at mapping every single Special Economic Zone (SEZ). This map was created to improve public understanding of SEZs. Our goal is to inspire other researchers studying SEZs to create their own data sets, sparking a knowledge revolution. Zone Types: We divided our map into SEZ zone types, loosely based on the World Bank’s 2008 SEZ types and UNCTAD’s 2018 SEZ types. ‍ Sp

JAKARTA, 3 November 2021 – As of 2 November 2021, the ASEAN Secretariat has received Instruments of Ratification/Acceptance from six ASEAN Member States – Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam – as well as from four non-ASEAN signatory States – Australia, China, Japan, and New Zealand. As provided by the Agreement, the RCEP will enter into force sixty days after the date at which the minimum number of IOR/A is achieved. This means that the RC

The final completion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has moved one step closer after six ASEAN countries submitted their approval letter for the RCEP on October 28, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister of Thailand, Jurin Laksanawisit, said on Monday. Experts said that the latest significant move indicates the final completion of the RCEP could come into effect in January 2022, as scheduled. While the possibilities for the US attempts to di

Beijing has applied to join an Asia-Pacific trade pact once pushed by the US as a way to isolate China and solidify American dominance in the region. China submitted the formal application letter to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to New Zealand, according to a statement late on Thursday (Spet 16) in Beijing. Commerce Minister Wang Wentao had a follow-up call with his counterpart Damien O’Connor, as New Zealand is the dep

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China on Monday celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their dialogue relations. Since the relations began in July 1991, bilateral trade volume had soared from less than 8 billion U.S. dollars to more than 680 billion dollars last year. With such a strong foundation, the two sides have pledged to enhance cooperation in all sectors to open a new chapter in ASEAN-China common development and prospe

RCEP Explained: The World’s Biggest Trading Bloc Trade and commerce are the lifeblood of the global economy. Naturally, agreements among nations in a certain geographical area help facilitate relationships in ways that are ideally beneficial for everyone involved. In late 2020, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was signed, officially creating the biggest trade bloc in history. Here, we break down everything you need to know about it, from who’s involved t

The Japanese government has approved the world’s largest trade deal. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) could come into force next January. Deborah Elms, Executive Director of the Asian Trade Centre in Singapore, explains what it is, how it differs from other trade deals and what has to happen next. RCEP is a big deal, literally and metaphorically. When it’s signed off, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will create a free trade zone covering

Excellent new report by Simon J. Evenett and Johannes Fritz, Centre for Economic Policy Research outlining implications for national development policies, for deliberations on implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, for the financing of FDI, and for the negotiation on investment accords. Sharp reductions in FDI inflows have occurred since the onset of the pandemic. The reality is that FDI was in trouble long before. This comes at a time when governments and civil soci

Member nations of a Pacific regional trade deal agreed Wednesday to allow the U.K. to begin the process to join in a potential boost for the country’s trade following Brexit. Japanese Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said the move would strengthen economic ties between the U.K. and Japan, as well as making the zone covered by the deal equal to the EU in terms of economic size. He spoke to reporters after hosting an online meeting of ministers and officials from the 11 cou

The RCEP agreement creates a free trade arrangement between ASEAN and Asia-Pacific nations, providing new trading opportunities through tariff reduction, new rules of origin, and trade-facilitation measures. Article by Dezan Shira as part of May China Briefing In November 2020, after eight years of negotiation, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement was finally inked by 15 Asia-Pacific nations, by far becoming the largest plurilateral free trade agre

Japan's parliament approved Wednesday the world's largest free trade deal, signed by 15 Asia-Pacific countries including China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, raising the possibility for the pact to enter into force later this year. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will create a free trade zone covering about 30 percent of the world's gross domestic product, trade and population. It will be Japan's first trade deal involving both China

Interesting article by Andrés Rodríguez‐Pose from FDI Intelligence. With so many of SEZs popping up around the world, relying on them could be a mistake for emerging economies. There are now more than 5300 Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the world, 90% of which, according to Unctad, are in developing and transitioning economies. Yet the question that remains is whether the growing army of SEZs is delivering on its objectives. The Shenzhen SEZ in China — established in 1980 —

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement has been ratified by China and it is hoped that other member countries can speed up their progress and finally reach the threshold of entry into force, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao said Monday. "The sooner the agreement comes into force, the sooner the people of the member countries will benefit," Wang said on the sidelines of the annual national legislative session. The agreement signed by 15 Asia Pacific c

A 2020 update of the ICC BASCAP report assessing the environment and highlighting trends in counterfeiting and other forms of illicit trade facilitated within free trade zones. What’s at risk? Free Trade Zones (FTZs) provide significant opportunities for legitimate business and play a critical role in global trade as well as economic growth for the host nation. However, our updated research has continued to confirm that insufficient oversight remains a major enabler of illic

Singapore and the United Kingdom signed a free trade agreement on Thursday (Dec 10) that will “provide continuity and certainty” for businesses in both countries, said Singapore’s Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing. The FTA was signed by Mr Chan and UK’s Secretary of State for International Trade Elizabeth Truss. The UK and European Union are currently locked in post-Brexit trade deal talks, more than 10 months after the UK left the bloc. Under the UK-Singapore FTA, c