Kuala Lumpur: Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Chile, and Bangladesh have formally expressed their interest in joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the world’s largest free trade bloc, signaling a significant step in the bloc’s potential expansion.

This announcement came during the 57th ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where economic integration and trade cooperation among member states were key discussion points.

RCEP, which became operational in January 2022, currently comprises 15 countries: the ten ASEAN nations – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam – along with China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. The trade bloc aims to reduce tariffs, boost investm

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