Some reports and analysts have described the eight-year negotiation process for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as driven or led by China, a point observers and diplomats say is inaccurate. Veteran diplomat and RSIS Distinguished Fellow, Ambassador Barry Desker called such media coverage misleading. “ASEAN’s leadership enabled the conclusion of the agreement. Without Asean, a broad agreement of this nature would not have been concluded among the non-Asean members. The signing at the Asean Summit demonstrates Asean’s convening power,” he said. He added that the RCEP is the first such agreement jointly concluded by China, Japan and South Korea at the regional level.  Ambassador-at-Large Ong Keng Yong, RSIS Executive Deputy Chairman and a former ASEAN Secretary-General, said the RCEP signing is important as it took place during the pandemic, when the manufacturing sector in Asean is struggling. “Any way of lowering transaction cost in the region will lift investors’ confidence in Asean.”