Monthly Highlights
- The Fourth East Asia Summit Economic Ministers' Meeting held on 5 August in Vientiane re-affirmed the efforts to enhance regional economic integration in East Asia region by continuing progress in negotiations towards the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
- The likelihood of Hillary Clinton becoming the next president of the United States will raise the chance for a number of chapters in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) being discussed, particularly on investment and intellectual property rights. The discussion is expected to provide a more balanced agreement regarding the need to provide guarantees to investors that their investment will be protected while at the same time maintaining national interests. Those factors will make TPP more attractive for countries in ASEAN and East Asia such as China, Indonesia, and Thailand.
Download the August 2016 update.
