RCEP deal could be signed as early as next year: Thai deputy PM

Source: Xinhua| 2019-09-08 22:41:40|Editor: Xiaoxia
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Attendees pose for photos during the 7th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sept. 8, 2019. Sixteen countries agreed on Sunday that they would reach agreements on details of the RCEP in an officials' meeting this month and the deal could be signed as early as next year, said Jurin Laksanawisit, Thailand's deputy prime minister and commerce minister. (Xinhua/Yang Zhou)

BANGKOK, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The 16 countries agreed on Sunday that they would reach agreements on details of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in an officials' meeting this month and the deal could be signed as early as next year, said Jurin Laksanawisit, Thailand's deputy prime minister and commerce minister.

Jurin told media after the 7th RCEP Ministerial Meeting held here on Sunday.

"Today's meeting is the last minister-level meeting before the RCEP summit to be held in November, and all 16 countries agreed that we should conclude negotiation on technical details of RCEP in the coming officials meeting," said Jurin, who is also the chairperson of Sunday's meeting.

The next officials' meeting is to be held later this month, which would be the last senior official-level meeting before the RCEP summit, he added.

The results of these meetings would be submitted to the RCEP summit in November and the deal could be signed as early as next year, the Thai deputy prime minister said.

The RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement between the 10 ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) members and six Asia-Pacific countries with which ASEAN has free trade agreements -- Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.

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