Press Releases
Third Round of Negotiations for Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)
1. The third round of negotiations for Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from January 20 to 24.
2. In this round of negotiations, the meetings of the Trade Negotiating Committee, in which senior officials participated, and of working groups concerning issues such as Trade in Goods, Trade in Services and Investment were held. From the Japanese side, Mr. Yasushi Masaki, Deputy Director-General, Economic Affairs Bureau of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and representatives from relevant ministries attended the meeting.
3. In this round of negotiations, the scope and method of negotiations, amongst others, were discussed, and it was decided to establish the new working groups on Competition, Intellectual Property, Economic and Technical Cooperation and Dispute Settlement. A seminar on intellectual property was held under the auspices of the Malaysian government.
4. The next round of negotiations will be held in China in April, 2014.