The Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham, represented Australia at the 8th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Ministerial Meeting held virtually on 27 August 2020.
At the meeting, Ministers recognised the critical importance of signing the RCEP Agreement this year particularly in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Ministers acknowledged the work done by officials to resolve outstanding issues and instructed officials to continue undertaking the necessary internal procedures to prepare the Agreement for signature in November 2020.
The Ministers issued a Joint Media Statement welcoming the progress made towards finalising the Agreement for signature and reiterating that RCEP remains open for India.