New Zealand Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth Damien O'Connor on Friday welcomed officials from 16 countries attending negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in Auckland.

China and Singapore will do their best to expedite talks on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Singapore's foreign minister said, calling the potential pact a statement on the importance of free trade.

Speeding up negotiations to finalize the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was the aim of the third Inter-sessional Ministerial Meeting of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) on May 22 in Hanoi.

India is not yet ready with its market opening offers for the members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) — especially China — as senior officials get ready to hold the next negotiating round in the Philippines.

Global trade needs a win to fend off rising tides of protectionism and anti-globalisation. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) offers the best ammunition to achieve this.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) remains committed to conclude the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) deal at the soonest possible time, said the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

India and Australia reaffirmed their commitment to the conclusion of a commercially-meaningful Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), which addresses the priorities of both sides.

After the failure of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is expected to benefit Vietnam provided that the country and the domestic business community make good preparations.

Ministers from Japan and ASEAN will push for trade rules with high degrees of freedom for a proposed regional free trade pact.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations seem to have hit a roadblock with member countries unwilling to accept India’s demand for greater liberalization in services.