Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary‑General of ASEAN, stated in a recent exclusive interview with DotDotNews that RCEP has opened its application mechanism for new members. He is highly optimistic about Hong Kong, China joining RCEP in the future. He also emphasised that relevant procedures are currently being advanced, and he looks forward to Hong Kong’s smooth accession with the full support of all existing members.
Dr. Kao Kim Hourn met with John Lee Ka‑chiu, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, this August. When asked whether Hong Kong has the potential to join RCEP in the future, he pointed out that the door to RCEP is open: "In this regard, I would be very pleased to see Hong Kong, China join RCEP in the future."
However, he admitted that joining requires formal procedures. "Of course, this involves a process, and we are currently advancing the relevant procedures in hopes of securing the full support of all existing RCEP members."
Speaking of Hong Kong’ s role in the region, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn emphasised that Hong Kong is a highly critical part of Asia. "We are confident that the bonds of cooperation and partnership between both sides will continue to grow here in Hong Kong. By deepening and strengthening our cooperation, we will all benefit from it."
RCEP entered into force in January 2022. It is currently the world’ s largest free trade agreement. Its members include the ten ASEAN countries, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand, covering roughly 30 percent of the world’ s population and economic output. After the agreement took effect, an accession mechanism for new members was opened.
(Reporter: Lynn Zhou; Camera, Video editing: Brayce Chen)
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