Hanoi , August 30 (VNA) – The economic ministers of the ASEAN member countries and their regional counterparts have agreed to start negotiations on a new regional free trade agreement called Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in November.
The partners include Australia , China , India , Japan , the Republic of Korea and New Zealand .
A joint statement after their meeting in the Cambodian province of Siem Reap on August 30 said the RCEP is expected to transform the region into an integrated market comprising over 3 billion people with a combined gross domestic product of about 17.23 trillion USD.
The ministers pledged to turn the RCEP into a model agreement which helps promote growth, development and integration among participating countries./.
