ASEAN Secretary General says RCEP will fuel post-pandemic recovery
(VOVWORLD) - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat on Wednesday announced that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, the world's largest trade deal, will come into force on January 1, 2022.
 The RCEP is signed by 15 countries in November, 2020. (Photo: ASEAN) |
ASEAN applauds the early ratification of the RCEP, the Secretary-General said, adding that the deal will fuel the post-pandemic recovery.
The ASEAN Secretariat has received ratification documents from six ASEAN members (Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) plus Australia, China, Japan, and New Zealand. The deal will take effect in 60 days since the minimum number of ratifications have been submitted (from 6 ASEAN members and 3 non-ASEAN signatories).
ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi said on Tuesday that the early ratification of the RCEP demonstrates a strong commitment of signatories to a fair, open multilateral trade mechanism.