The Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham, represented Australia at the 10th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Intersessional Ministerial Meeting held virtually on 23 June 2020.
The Ministers issued a Joint Media Statement reconfirming their commitment to sign the RCEP Agreement in 2020 to serve as a clear signal of unwavering support for the multilateral trading system, regional integration and regional economic development. The statement also acknowledges India as an important participant in the RCEP negotiations since their launch in 2012, and states that the door remains open for India.
At the meeting, Ministers also welcomed the work of officials to resolve outstanding issues since the 3rd RCEP Summit, and the effective completion of the legal scrubbing of the RCEP Agreement. Ministers instructed officials to continue working to resolve the remaining issues and continue to prepare the Agreement for signature this year.
Joint Media Statement of the 10th Intersessional RCEP Ministerial Meeting [PDF]