ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership

Okay, kiddo, let me explain what regional comprehensive economic partnership means.

Have you ever heard of a club or a group that you like to join because it has fun activities or games? Well, just like that, countries also form groups or partnerships with one another to have fun and trade different things they make or grow in their respective countries.

The regional comprehensive economic partnership, or RCEP for short, is a group made up of 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. This group includes countries like China, Japan, Australia, and India.

Now, let me tell you what this group does. The RCEP helps these countries trade with each other easily by removing or reducing taxes that they have to pay when they import and export goods from one another.

Let's say, for instance, your friend has a toy that you want to trade with your toy, but you both live in different countries, and taxes make it expensive for you to exchange toys. So, if the RCEP group did not exist, it would be too hard and too costly for you to trade toys.

But with the RCEP, trading is made more accessible, and it helps these countries' economies grow by buying and selling things to one another without penalties.

But wait, that's not all! This group also helps countries become more independent and self-sufficient by encouraging them to produce more goods and services within their own countries instead of buying from other countries. It's like telling them to become stronger and more confident in themselves.

So, that's what regional comprehensive economic partnership means in simple terms. It's basically a club of countries that helps them trade with one another easily, grow their economies, and become more self-sufficient.