RCEP open to India and others for accession: China MoC spokeswoman

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A Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson concurred that India would have the right to join the "open and inclusive" free trade agreement known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Spokeswoman Shu Juting made the comments at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday in response to a question about Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen's recent statement in New Delhi, where he said that India is free to join the RCEP and that doing so would boost trade between the two countries.

India was part of the negotiations that formed the multilateral agreement but decided to opt out before it was finalized.

"As per the agreement, India, having been party to initial negotiations, has held the option to apply for accession since the agreement entered into force on January 1 of last year. RCEP is an open and inclusive free trade agreement, welcoming all parties, including India, to participate," said Shu.

The RCEP agreement was signed in November 2020 by 15 Asia-Pacific countries after eight years of negotiations. It entered into force on the first day of 2022, creating the world's largest trade bloc.

The second RCEP Ministers' Meeting was held in Semarang, Indonesia on August 21, 2023, with all parties agreeing to hold continuous discussions and facilitate the establishment of accession procedures for new RCEP members.

翻译：中国商务部发言人同意，印度有权加入“开放和包容”的自由贸易协定，即区域全面经济伙伴关系协定(RCEP)。

中国商务部副部长王受文最近在新德里发表声明说，印度可以自由加入RCEP，这样做将促进两国之间的贸易。中国商务部发言人舒跃亭周四在北京的一个新闻发布会上回应了有关王受文最近在新德里发表声明的问题。

印度参与了达成多边协议的谈判