RCEP Series Interpretation (III): ASEAN's Strategic Trade Intentions
RCEP, led by ASEAN, takes effect on January 1, 2022. As the world's largest FTA, it encompasses a total of 15 countries, including the ten ASEAN countries, China, Japan, South Korea and Australia and New Zealand.
In 2019, the 15 member countries of RCEP will have a total population of 2.27 billion, a GDP of US$26 trillion and total exports of US$5.2 trillion, all accounting for about 30% of the global total.