- The 37th ASEAN Summit led to the emergence of RCEP.
- Members: It consists of 16 members, including 10 members from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as South Korea, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
- Members of the RCEP make up nearly a third of the world’s population and account for 29% of global gross domestic product (GDP)
- It aims to eliminate tariffs on import in the next 20 years. It also includes provisions on intellectual property, telecommunications, financial services, e-commerce and professional services.
- Negotiations over an RCEP deal began in 2012. India was also part of the negotiations, but it pulled out in 2019 over concerns that lower tariffs could hurt local producers