MEPs in the European Parliament Committee on International Trade meeting held on Thursday 10 December responded to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), signed recently by 15 South East Asian countries (see EUROPE 12602/33). Deborah Elms, the Vice Chair of the Asia Business Trade Association, gave the MEPs a brief presentation on the agreement. The MEPS expressed concern about the breadth of the agreement and the lack of environmental and social conditions.
They also questioned the European Commission about the impact of this partnership on the European economy and on the response required. Many of them are concerned about China’s growing influence via this partnership, of which it should be the main beneficiary. The S&D and GUE/NGL groups also warned about the risk of products made in China being imported into the EU duty-free via other RCEP countries that are partners of the EU.
In response to these questions, Reinhard Bütikofer (Greens, Germany), who is a member of the delegation for relations with China, suggested taking a more general look at trade partnerships. “China has shown that it is not waiting for Biden to establish partnerships. The message here is that the EU does not need to follow this example by hurriedly concluding an agreement with China. An EU/ASEAN regional agreement might be useful. But this should not prevent us from looking elsewhere, towards Africa for example”. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)