Arguing that the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) pact is not comprehensive enough in scope, former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has called for India and Australia to restart talks for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA).
“Invariably, nations are very wary of anything that might end up leaving vulnerable countries permanently indebted to another. So, I would be cautious about RCEP as it looks like a trade arm of China’s Belt and Road Initiative,” Abbott told Business Standard on Wednesday. On a 5-day visit to India, Abbott met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.
To focus on the RCEP, India