China joins massive Asian trade deal, a symbolic step to set standards without the U.S.
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement was signed yesterday, promising to set trading standards for 10 Southeast Asian countries plus China, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and Japan. The deal is a strategic, but mostly symbolic win for China. Illustration by Derek Zheng The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) announced yesterday that a massive free-trade…