The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat announced on Tuesday that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, the world's largest trade deal so far, would go into force on Jan 1, 2022. The Secretariat has received instruments of ratification from six ASEAN countries, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as from the four non-ASEAN signatory states of Australia, China, Japan, and New Zealand.

东盟秘书处11月2日发布通知，宣布文莱、柬埔寨、老挝、新加坡、泰国、越南等6个东盟成员国和澳大利亚、中国、日本、新西兰等4个非东盟成员国已向东盟秘书长正式提交核准书，《区域全面经济伙伴关系协定》(RCEP)将于2022年1月1日对上述十国开始生效。RCEP是目前世界上最大的自由贸易协定。

Implementation of the agreement will provide a tremendous boost to post-COVID-19 economic recovery efforts, said the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dato Lim Jock Hoi.

东盟秘书处秘书长林玉辉强调，RCEP的生效将极大地推动新冠肺炎疫情后的经济复苏。

RCEP agreement was reached in November 2020 by the 10 member countries of ASEAN and five of their partner countries.

2020年11月，东盟10国和5个对话伙伴国正式签署该协定。

According to the agreement, implementation of RCEP will begin 60 days after ratification by at least six ASEAN and at least three non-ASEAN countries.

根据协定，RCEP将在至少6个东盟成员国和至少3个非东盟成员国批准后60天生效。