Brunei Darussalam hosted the 11th round of RCEP negotiations, which included the working groups on goods, services and investment, and the sub-working group on rules of origin.
The negotiations set a positive tone for the rest of the year, setting a schedule for negotiations in 2016, in line with Leaders' Joint Statement from 22 November 2015.
Officials worked constructively on market access in goods, services and investment throughout the week, making progress on draft chapter text and benchmarks for further improvements. On services, all RCEP participating countries have now submitted initial offers. Officials working on rules of origin discussed product specific rules and draft text.
Those working groups (Competition, Economic and Technical Cooperation, Legal and Institutional Issues and E-Commerce) and sub-working groups (Financial Services and Telecommunications) that did not meet in Brunei will meet intersessionally in the lead-up to the 12th round of RCEP negotiations in Perth, Australia (22-29 April 2016).