Is India looking to a world beyond the RCEP?
Given the worsening India-China relationship, New Delhi may be more comfortable in a free trade arrangement under the aegis of a friendlier and reliable America.
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INDIA'S absence from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) raises important questions about the country's future role in the Asian continent: has New Delhi self-isolated to its own detriment?
India is not a part of the major trading blocs. It is still not a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and its exit from the RCEP and non-participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) denies New Delhi a voice in influencing the future economic contours of Asia.
Of course, in future India may join the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation if it better integrates its economy with the world, but at the present historical moment crucial questions are being asked.
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