Press Releases
Joint Statement of the 29th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Trade Negotiating Committee (RCEP TNC) Meeting
April 30, 2020
On April 30, 2020, Joint Statement of the 29th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Trade Committee (RCEP TNC) Meeting （English (PDF)
／Japanese (PDF)）was issued. The whole text is as it follows;
- The 29th RCEP Trade Negotiating Committee Meeting was held via video conference on 20, 22 and 24 April 2020, attended by 15 RCEP Participating Countries (RPCs), that is, the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Australia, China, Japan, Korea, and New Zealand.
- The 15 RPCs reaffirmed their commitment to sign the RCEP agreement in 2020, stressing that as a region-wide free trade area, RCEP will provide a more stable and predictable economic environment to support the much-needed recovery of trade and investment in the region, which has been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 15 RPCs also agreed to step up cooperation and accelerate global efforts to enable a swift and resilient economic recovery from the crisis brought about by the COVID-19.
- Against this backdrop, the 15 RPCs reaffirmed their commitment to continue working with India to address its outstanding issues, as instructed by RCEP Leaders at the 3rd RCEP Summit in November 2019. Recognizing India as a valuable original participant, the 15 RPCs would welcome India’s return to the RCEP negotiations.