Crunch time on RCEP

India should not risk getting isolated in the region

The Union government is shortly going to have to make a momentous decision about India’s economic orientation. The deadline for the conclusion of talks on a proposed free-trade agreement (FTA) known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is fast approaching. The FTA, which is envisaged to link the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) with the People’s Republic of China, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand as well as India, is due to be concluded by the time Asean meets next in November. It has become clear over the past years that the major stumbling