RCEP negotiations may drag on beyond 2017

RCEP member nations had decided on a 2017 deadline for reaching a consensus on broad issues

Talks on the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which had earlier targeted a 2017 deadline, may drag on to the next year. This is because the member nations are yet to agree on tariff reduction for goods while discussions on services have hit a wall.

While the members had supported finalising the broad contours of the agreement by the end of the year, a senior government official said most chapters on goods trade have not seen full discussions. With even lesser progress made on services and investment talks, it is informally understood the discussions would spill over into 2018, the