KUALA LUMPUR - Economic ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said here on Wednesday that expanding the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) membership would further strengthen and diversify its economic linkages with external partners.

In a joint statement issued after the 57th ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) Meeting on Wednesday, the ministers said that they noted the interest from China's Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Chile, and Bangladesh to accede to the RCEP Agreement, and the meeting encouraged officials to expedite discussions to commence the accession process as soon as possible.

It also said that "The meeting welcomed the full operationalization of the RCEP Support Unit and its efforts in providing support to the RCEP Joint Committee and its subsidiary bodies."  

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The RCEP, the world's largest free trade deal to date, covers 10 member states of ASEAN and its five free trade agreement partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.

The ministers also welcomed the Joint Declaration on Economic Cooperation between ASEAN and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), adopted at the second ASEAN-GCC Summit on May 27, urging sectoral collaboration and a joint feasibility study on a potential ASEAN-GCC Free Trade Agreement.

The AEM and related meetings run from Sept 22 to 26.