Hong Kong looks forward to formal dialogues on accession to RCEP

Asean News Published 2 years ago on 7 June 2021 | Author TIN Media
HONG KONG :

 When the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is ready to take on new partners, Hong Kong looks forward to beginning formal discussions on its membership, according to a government official from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

At an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation video conference, Secretary of Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau made the remarks (APEC).

He called on economies to support the rules-based multilateral trading system and deepen regional economic integration toward the eventual realisation of the Asia-Pacific free trade area, saying that high-quality regional free trade agreements would bring tangible economic benefits and strengthen the regional economy's foundation.


Despite the fact that the world economy is struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Yau underlined the necessity of reinstating cross-border travel as a taking necessary to aid economic recovery and rejuvenate hard-hit sectors such as tourism.

He stated that Hong Kong would be willing to work with other APEC member nations to advance relevant initiatives while balancing public health concerns.

The RCEP includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.