Australia, New Zealand continue to bat for India's entry into RCEP

Australia and New Zealand continue to push for India’s inclusion in the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) pact, weeks after New Delhi pulled out of it.

Officials of both the nations have been in touch with other partners in the free-trade agreement and were the real force behind the RCEP nations deciding to keep the door open for India to join at a later date, say sources in the know.

The countries are not interested in aligning more with export powerhouse China even as hopes of gaining access to India, the single-largest potential market, evaporate, said diplomatic sources. As