RCEP still on Japan’s agenda

Why is it in news?
  • External Affairs Minister Subrahmaniam Jaishankar is in Nagoya for the G-20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting on November 22 and 23, and there he met his counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi on Friday.
More in news
  • Japanese officials are going to make another attempt to make India revise its decision to quit the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), while Indo-Japanese maritime and military initiatives, the Indo-pacific policy, and joint projects in Sri Lanka, the Maldives and other countries will be discussed at a series of meetings leading up to Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit next month.
  • Japan to pitch for India’s entry: Abe is expected to pitch for India to rejoin the ASEAN-led Free Trade Agreement RCEP during the meeting.
  • India not likely to join RCEP soon: it appears unlikely that the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which had made a strong protectionist argument for walking out of the agreement on November 4, would reconsider its decision unless it receives more concessions, particularly on safeguards from Chinese goods.
Source
The Hindu




Posted by Jawwad Kazi on 23rd Nov 2019