Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he intends to convene a summit of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in October, local media reported on Wednesday.
The RCEP, the world's largest trade bloc, is backed by China and counts 15 Asia-Pacific economies as members, including Australia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Malaysia, the current chair of The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), is due to host a leaders' summit of the grouping and its regional partners in the same month as the planned RCEP meeting.
"The aim (of the RCEP meeting) is to take stock, to accelerate implementation and to demonstrate that Asia can still lead the cause of openness even as others turn inward," Anwar was quoted as saying by Malaysian daily The Star.
The RCEP, which came into force in 2022, is aimed at lowering tariffs, boosting investment and allowing freer movement of goods within the region.
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Serbia's Aleksandar Vučić has conceded defeat after a student-led protest movement took the majority of seats in Sunday's parliamentary elections.
Russia and Ukraine have begun a regional ceasefire to allow the start of a humanitarian effort in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, both sides said on Tuesday, but they continue strikes elsewhere, including the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
Russian strikes hit several parts of Ukraine overnight, injuring at least six people and targeting energy and port infrastructure, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said U.S. warnings about imminent Russian ballistic missile attacks had resumed.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council says senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye will travel to Tehran to discuss regional security.
Nearly two years after the 20 October 2024 parliamentary elections, Iraq’s Kurdistan Region remains without a cabinet. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) won 39 of 100 seats and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) 23, leaving neither able to govern alone.
Apple's latest iPhone 18 Pro series has outperformed its predecessor in early global sales, even as rising manufacturing costs and weaker demand in some markets put pressure on the smartphone industry, according to Counterpoint Research data released on Tuesday (27 October).
Uzbekistan is moving into a new phase in the development of Islamic finance, with the country’s first Islamic banking licence issued shortly before a regional forum in Samarkand brought together industry players to discuss how the sector can expand across Central Asia.
The European Union is pushing to deepen trade ties with Asia as rising global trade barriers threaten international commerce, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said during a visit to Singapore on Tuesday (27 October).
As Israelis head to the polls on Tuesday, 27 October, the Israeli economy faces a paradox; soaring stocks and a stronger currency alongside rising public debt and billions of dollars in war costs. What do the figures reveal about the challenges awaiting the next government?
Russia's President Vladimir Putin is hosting the Eighth Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) summit in Moscow. The Kremlin has said leaders will discuss the role of gas in global energy security and adopt a final declaration.
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