Mr Steven Ciobo MP led Australia's participation at the Third Intersessional RCEP Ministerial Meeting hosted by Vietnam on 21-22 May 2017. Minister Ciobo reiterated Australia's commitment to the RCEP negotiations producing a credible Agreement.

The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to a successful and timely conclusion of the RCEP negotiations, advocating the potential of a modern, comprehensive, high quality and mutually beneficial Agreement to serve as a beacon of open regionalism that will support inclusive and innovative economic growth.

Noting the advances made in the negotiations, the Ministers welcomed the conclusion of the chapters on economic and technical cooperation and on small and medium enterprises, as well as the progress made towards concluding other chapters. The Ministers also considered the further work required in the market access negotiations.

The Ministers, in acknowledging that there were many challenging issues to resolve, stressed that all RPCs must redouble efforts to translate their political commitments into actions to bring RCEP to a swift conclusion.

Joint media statement: The Third Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Intersessional Ministerial Meeting [PDF 126 KB], 21-22 May 2017, Hanoi, Vietnam