Visa-free trips to RCEP countries soon

Prominent businessmen from 16 countries, including India and China, may soon be able to make free business trips without visas with member nations of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) set to discuss the issue next month.

The home ministry has given its approval in principle for the plan after the commerce ministry sought its opinion on the move to have visa-free short business trips to each other’s country. The move would help boost commercial ties.
The 16-member RCEP block will discuss the matter at its next meeting in Busan in South Korea between October 12 and 16.

The RCEP is a free trade agreement (FTA)  negotiation that has been developed among 16 countries -- the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) and the six countries with which ASEAN has existing FTAs: India, Australia, China, Japan, Korea and New Zealand. In relation to the RCEP,  these six non-ASEAN countries are known as ASEAN free trade partners.

The proposal before the RCEP’s meeting is the possibility of issuance of a special business travel card.