TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Letter to editor: Japan mission to ASEAN responds
With regard to the Dec
Change Size
W
span>With regard to the Dec. 4 article titled “RCEP is about ASEAN’s initiative, not China’s” by Rocky lntan, I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate the government of Japan’s unwavering commitment to realizing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
The 16 countries including India, under ASEAN centrality, have been proceeding with RCEP negotiations for over seven years. I believe none of us intends to exclude India from the RCEP. In fact, the Joint Leader’s Statement on the RCEP announced on Nov. 4 in Bangkok that “India has significant outstanding issues, which remain unresolved. All RCEP participating countries will work together to resolve these outstanding issues in a mutually satisfactory way.” This collective effort should be seriously pursued and promoted.
In the firm belief that the participation of India, an enormous emerging market, will maximize the potential of regional and global economic integration, Japan has been working to resolve these issues, in cooperation with ASEAN and other countries, and will further strengthen our efforts to do so.
Japan is committed to playing a leading role toward the signing of the RCEP Agreement by all 16 countries in 2020.
Akira Chiba
Japanese ambassador to ASEAN
Jakarta
