(VOVWORLD) - Vietnam, as Chair of ASEAN in 2020, will coordinate with other countries to push the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) by the end of next year, said Vietnamese Minister of Trade and Industry Tran Tuan Anh at the 28th round of RCEP talks in Da Nang city on Monday.
Mr. Anh said the RCEP negotiations are in their final stages, calling on all parties to seek solutions for any remaining issues.
"2019 saw great efforts by negotiators of all participating countries in making substantial progress during the talks. Three appendixes and seven chapters, or major negotiation topics, have been agreed upon," said Minister Anh.
"I hope all countries will have agreed regarding investment, trade in goods, and trade in services ahead of the high-level meeting next year."
The current and also the last round of RCEP talks in 2019 will conclude on Friday. The RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement between ASEAN and its six FTA partners including China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Once signed, the agreement is expected to create the world's largest free trade area with a total population of 3.4 billion, accounting for 30% of global trade.