NSTnation: “We need an agreement from all 16 countries. If one country demands something and we cannot accept it, then there will be no agreement.' - PM RCEP ASEANSummit
According to reports, the signing of the trade agreement involving 16 countries has been delayed until Feb 2020.“We thought the first year, we should have concluded the negotiations,” he told the Malaysian media here, today.
“We need an agreement from all 16 countries. If one country demands something and we cannot accept it, then there will be no agreement. “Multilateral or even bilateral is not easy. It is not just about being nice to each other, or patting your back and saying I agree with what you said and you agree with what I said,” said the Prime Minister, who is leading the Malaysian delegation here.
The RCEP, talks on which began in 2012, would combine the gross domestic product of the 16 countries – totalling US$49.5 trillion – which comprises 39 per cent of the world’s total global GDP.