When:  25 May 2021, 9:00am Hong Kong time (GMT+8)

Speaker:  Deborah Elms, Asian Trade Centre

Sponsor:  Asia Global Institute, University of Hong Kong

Register:  here

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) brings together 15 countries in East Asia, including all 10 ASEAN members, in the largest-ever free trade agreement, accounting for about 30 percent of the world's GDP and population. RCEP has been touted as a global-trade game-changer by dint of its size and the inclusion of China and Japan. But how does RCEP compare with the 11-nation Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) that came into force at the end of 2018 – and what would be the dynamics between the two, neither of which include the US? Will RCEP address the need to bring coherence and rules-based order to regional trade in goods and services in the digital age? In this AGI Public Policy Webinar, Dr Deborah Elms of the Asian Trade Centre will examine the implications of the new Asia-Pacific trade arrangements for the future of global trade and regional economic integration. The presentation will be followed by a discussion and Q&A session moderated by Professor Heiwai Tang of the University of Hong Kong.