On September 21, the Fifth Ministerial Meeting was held in Manila, the Philippines after the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement entered into force and implementation. Vice Minister of Commerce Yan Dong attended the meeting and delivered a speech. At the meeting, the parties had an in-depth exchange of views on the regional and global economic situation and the future direction of RCEP, and reaffirmed their commitment to an open, free, fair and rules-based trade framework. All parties agree that in the current context, they should work together to strengthen the implementation of the RCEP agreement, deepen trade and investment ties among members, and continue to enhance regional economic resilience. All parties welcome the establishment of new members for Bangladesh, Chile, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka to join the working group to advance the RCEP expansion process, and will begin formulating a “Joint Scope Document” for the RCEP upgrade. They look forward to announcing the launch of the RCEP upgrade process at the 2027 RCEP Ministerial Meeting.

On September 21, the Fifth Ministerial Meeting was held in Manila, the Philippines after the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement entered into force and implementation. Vice Minister of Commerce Yan Dong attended the meeting and delivered a speech. At the meeting, the parties had an in-depth exchange of views on the regional and global economic situation and the future direction of RCEP, and reaffirmed their commitment to an open, free, fair and rules-based trade framework. All parties agree that in the current context, they should work together to strengthen the implementation of the RCEP agreement, deepen trade and investment ties among members, and continue to enhance regional economic resilience. All parties welcome the establishment of new members for Bangladesh, Chile, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka to join the working group to advance the RCEP expansion process, and will begin formulating a “Joint Scope Document” for the RCEP upgrade. They look forward to announcing the launch of the RCEP upgrade process at the 2027 RCEP Ministerial Meeting.