THE 15 MEMBER COUNTRIES OF THE REGIONAL COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP (RCEP) CONCLUDED ALL TEXT NEGOTIATIONS AND ESSENTIALLY ALL MARKET ACCESS NEGOTIATIONS DURING THE EAST ASIAN COOPERATION LEADERS' MEETING HELD IN BANGKOK, THAILAND ON THE 3RD, AND WILL OFFICIALLY SIGN THE AGREEMENT NEXT YEAR. THIS MARKS A SIGNIFICANT BREAKTHROUGH IN THE INTEGRATION OF THE EAST ASIAN REGIONAL ECONOMY, AND A FREE TRADE ZONE WITH THE LARGEST POPULATION, THE MOST DIVERSE MEMBERS, AND THE GREATEST DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL IN THE WORLD IS ABOUT TO EMERGE. EAST ASIAN COUNTRIES ARE CONSTANTLY MOVING TOWARDS THE GOAL OF BUILDING AN EAST ASIAN COMMUNITY.CURRENTLY, THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION IS UNDERGOING PROFOUND AND COMPLEX CHANGES, WITH A SLOWING TREND IN WORLD ECONOMIC GROWTH, INCREASING PROTECTIONISM, AND IMPACTS ON MULTILATERAL RULES AND INTERNATIONAL ORDER. RECENTLY, MAJOR INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS HAVE REPEATEDLY LOWERED THEIR GLOBAL GROWTH EXPECTATIONS FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS, LEADING TO A GLOBAL ECONOMIC DOWNTURN AND EVEN THE RISK OF RECESSION. THIS WILL BRING NEW SEVERE CHALLENGES TO COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD, INCLUDING EAST ASIA. IN THIS CONTEXT, THE SIGNIFICANT BREAKTHROUGH IN RCEP NEGOTIATIONS CONVEYS THE MESSAGE THAT ADHERING TO MULTILATERALISM AND PROMOTING ECONOMIC INTEGRATION IS A BROAD CONSENSUS AMONG COUNTRIES IN THE REGION.RCEP WAS INITIATED BY THE 10 ASEAN COUNTRIES IN 2012, INVITING CHINA, JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA, AUSTRALIA AND OTHER COUNTRIES TO PARTICIPATE TOGETHER, AIMING TO ESTABLISH A FREE TRADE AGREEMENT WITH A UNIFIED MARKET BY REDUCING TARIFF AND NON-TARIFF BARRIERS. AFTER THE AGREEMENT IS REACHED, IT WILL BECOME ONE OF THE MOST POPULOUS AND PROMISING REGIONAL FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS IN THE WORLD.REACHING RCEP HAS BEEN THE LONG-AWAITED GOAL OF ALL PARTIES INVOLVED, INCLUDING ASEAN COUNTRIES, FOR MANY YEARS. SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, THE RCEP NEGOTIATION PROCESS HAS ACCELERATED, AND ALL PARTIES HAVE SHOWN MORE POSITIVE POLITICAL WILL THAN EVER BEFORE. THE CENTRIPETAL FORCE BEHIND THE JOINT PROMOTION OF WIN-WIN COOPERATION IS PARTICULARLY SIGNIFICANT IN THE CURRENT TURBULENT GLOBAL TRADE SITUATION. REACHING THE RCEP AGREEMENT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WILL NOT ONLY HELP ALLEVIATE THE IMPACT OF CURRENT PROTECTIONISM AND UNILATERALISM POLICIES ON THE WORLD ECONOMY, BUT ALSO EFFECTIVELY PROMOTE THE PROCESS OF REGIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION, MAINTAIN FREE TRADE, AND BOOST MARKET CONFIDENCE.DURING THE YEARS OF RCEP NEGOTIATIONS, CHINA HAS ACTIVELY PROMOTED TALKS, COOPERATION, AND FACILITATION, AND ITS ROLE IS INDISPENSABLE. AS CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO ASEAN HUANG XILIAN SAID, CHINA ATTACHES GREAT IMPORTANCE TO THE RCEP NEGOTIATIONS, ACTIVELY PLAYS A CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE, FIRMLY SUPPORTS ASEAN'S CORE POSITION IN THE NEGOTIATIONS, ADHERES TO THE PRINCIPLE OF MUTUAL BENEFIT AND WIN-WIN, PARTICIPATES IN THE NEGOTIATIONS, AND PROMOTES THE NEGOTIATIONS TO MAINTAIN A POSITIVE MOMENTUM AND CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.IN THE NEAR FUTURE, THE ACHIEVEMENT OF RCEP WILL ENABLE COUNTRIES IN THE REGION TO ACHIEVE COMPLEMENTARY ADVANTAGES AND MUTUAL BENEFITS THROUGH CONTINUOUSLY EXPANDING TRADE AND INVESTMENT COOPERATION. THE ACCELERATION OF CHINA'S OPENING-UP PROCESS IS ALSO CONDUCIVE TO REGIONAL COUNTRIES CONNECTING WITH THE CONTINUOUSLY EXPANDING AND UPGRADING CHINESE MARKET. AS THE WORLD'S SECOND-LARGEST ECONOMY, CHINA IS PROMOTING HIGH-QUALITY DEVELOPMENT AND A NEW PATTERN OF HIGHER-LEVEL OPENING UP. THE NEW ROUND OF REFORM AND OPENING UP MEASURES WILL UNDOUBTEDLY STIMULATE CONSIDERABLE MARKET INVESTMENT AND CONSUMPTION POTENTIAL.RCEP CONFORMS TO THE HISTORICAL TREND AND HIGHLIGHTS THE TREND OF OPEN COOPERATION IN THE ERA. THE NEGOTIATIONS THAT HAVE LASTED FOR SEVERAL YEARS HAVE CONSOLIDATED THE WILL AND CONSENSUS OF ALL PARTIES, REPRESENTING THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE. ALL PARTIES SHOULD CONTINUE TO MOVE TOWARDS THE SAME DIRECTION, COMMITTED TO PROMOTING EAST ASIAN REGIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION, JOINTLY MAINTAINING THE EXCELLENT SITUATION OF DEEPENING EAST ASIAN REGIONAL COOPERATION, JOINTLY MAINTAINING THE GOOD MOMENTUM OF REGIONAL ECONOMIC PROSPERITY AND DEVELOPMENT, BENEFITING REGIONAL COUNTRIES AND PEOPLE, AND MAKING POSITIVE CONTRIBUTIONS TO BUILDING AN OPEN WORLD ECONOMY.LOOKING AHEAD TO THE FUTURE, A MORE UNITED, SELF STRENGTHENING, INCLUSIVE AND OPEN ASIA WILL BRING LASTING MOMENTUM TO PROMOTE REGIONAL AND GLOBAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND CREATE A SUCCESSFUL MODEL FOR THE HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT OF GLOBAL MULTILATERALISM AND FREE TRADE.