According to the Ministry of Commerce website on November 6, China is ready to implement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) and can ensure full compliance with its obligations when the agreement enters into force, according to the head of the International Department of the Ministry of Commerce. Not long ago, on November 2, the ASEAN Secretariat, the custodian of the RCEP, issued a notice that the RCEP has reached the threshold for the agreement to enter into force and will enter into force for ten countries, including China, on January 1 next year.

What does RCEP mean for China? Why did China apply to join the CPTPP despite the existence of the RCEP, and why did the absence of the United States make the signing of the agreement run more smoothly? Does this mean that a new world landscape is taking shape?