SINGAPORE -- The 16 members of the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership trade pact on Saturday made some progress in the area of market access at a ministerial meeting in Singapore. But the ministers said further improvements are needed to reach a deal by the end of the year.
The RCEP encompasses the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations plus Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. The proposed bloc accounts for about one-third of global gross domestic product and half the world's population.
