Door will remain 'wide open' for India to join RCEP, says Australian PM
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday said the door will remain "wide open" for India to join the 16-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) if it decides to do so, as the others were on board in finalising the deal without New Delhi.
Morrison and Trade Minister Simon Birmingham are in Bangkok to discuss the RCEP during the ASEAN summit.
The possible delay in firming up the RCEP during the three-day summit in the Thai capital has been attributed to India's "new demands" on market access, and tariff related issues.
India has been forcefully raising the issue of market access as well as protected lists of goods mainly to shield its domestic market as there have been fears that the country may be flooded with cheap Chinese agricultural and industrial products once it signs the deal.
"The door will always be open to India," Morrison was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press (AAP).
He also said that the deal would be bigger and better with India