Publication

This commentary discusses the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade agreement between ASEAN and six Asia-Pacific countries that has been in negotiation since May 2013. The author first examines what the RCEP would consist of as well as the political and economic reasons for the partnership. She then outlines some of the major challenges facing the establishment of the RCEP, one of the main ones being the large discrepancies in wealth and development between the potential parties to the agreement. Finally, she examines the possible implications of the RCEP for the EU and the Union's approach to free trade agreements with Asian nations.