At a time when the benefits of free trade are being questioned and concerns about globalisation have risen around the world, the sealing of a pan-Asia trade agreement is a symbolic moment. The signature of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, marks a milestone for economic integration in the region; it spans 15 nations that together account for almost a third of the world’s gross domestic product. It is the first trade agreement to bring together China, Japan and South Korea and brings Asia a step closer to the prospect of a cohesive trading bloc.
在自由貿易的好處受到質疑、世界各地對全球化擔憂上升之際，簽署一份泛亞貿易協定是一個具有象徵意義的時刻。《區域全面經濟夥伴關係協定》(RCEP)的簽署標誌着亞太地區的經濟一體化達到一個里程碑；它覆蓋15個國家，它們加起來佔世界各國國內生產毛額(GDP)總和近三分之一。它是將中國、日本和南韓匯聚在一起的第一份貿易協定，並使亞洲朝著一個團結一致的貿易集團走近一步。