Senior officials from Asean and its six partners are due to meet in South Korea next week to finalise the negotiating framework for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
The conclusion of the RCEP-Trade Negotiating Committee meeting will be submitted at the Asean summit in Manila, the Philippines in November, where a decision will be made on the framework, said Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn.
"Thailand as a part of the Asean had previously asked all members and its six partners to join the RCEP to be more flexible in negotiating on its formation," she said.
Asean needs to push forward the RCEP as the global economy is recovering, particularly as the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade accord is floundering, said Mrs Apriadi.
The RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement between the 10 Asean members and six other states the bloc has free trade deals with: Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.
Many countries have expressed interest in becoming members of RCEP, but all have their concerns about the number of items to be included in the tariff cuts.
She said the percentage of goods to be put on the tariff-cutting list ranges from 80%-92%.
"Previously, we had aimed to abolish tariffs for up to 90% of all items being traded in the RCEP within 15 years," she said
Ronnarong Phoolpipat, deputy director-general of the Trade Negotiations Department and Thailand's chief negotiator for the RCEP-TNC, said this meeting round in South Korea will be the last one before bringing the RCEP issue to a head.
"We hope to see more flexible stances from all parties so that we can start negotiating further on how to cut tariffs under the RCEP, if its is decided at the summit to continue,"he said.
Mr Ronnarong said if all parties agreed to initiate the RCEP, it would be one of the world's major trade blocs, with total trade value worth up to US$9.7 trillion a year, accounting for 29% of total global trade value.
