RCEP Ministerial, Singapore, 3 March 2018 - mfat.govt.nz

1 RCEP ministerial , Singapore, 3 March 2018 Associate Minister for Trade and Export Growth, Hon Damien O Connor, represented New Zealand at the 4th Intersessional Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) ministerial meeting on 3 March 2018 in Singapore. At the meeting, the first ministerial -level meeting since the November 2017 RCEP Leaders Summit, the Ministers noted the outcomes of both the Leaders Summit and the Yogyakarta negotiating round, while welcoming that text negotiations across the agreement had advanced.

2 The meeting made progress, although considerable work remains. New Zealand continued to emphasise the need for a final RCEP agreement to deliver on the standards set out in the agreement s Guiding Principles in particular, for a modern, comprehensive, high-quality and mutually beneficial economic partnership, and one that fosters and supports regional economic integration. While New Zealand supports a swift conclusion, it is also important that any final RCEP agreement is ambitious and commercially meaningful.

3 The RCEP FTA negotiations cover 56% of New Zealand s goods and services exports and include seven of our top 10 export markets. A full link to the Ministers Joint Media Statement can be found here.