RCEP: No Go If Deal Is Not Right For The People - Dr Mahathir

By M. Saraswathi SINGAPORE, Nov 15 (Bernama) – Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad reiterated his stand that Malaysia will not agree to lopsided trade deals. “Sometimes, international relations are received differently by different segments of our population. We can't just accept something that sounds reasonable for other countries but may not sound reasonable for many people in our country. “We want to avoid conflicts in our country resulting in our acceding to foreign ideas,” he said on the sidelines of the 33th ASEAN Summit in the Island City which ends Thursday. He was asked to comment on Bernama’s earlier report that Putrajaya will not sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) if it does not constitute a fair deal. Launched in 2012, the RCEP is the world's largest economic pact, covering nearly half the global economy. It involves 16 nations, the 10 ASEAN-member countries, plus six Asia Pacific states, namely Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. -- BERNAMA