Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its major trading partners may bring ASEAN a bigger role in global economy, Malaysian International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed said Thursday. "It cannot be denied that ASEAN today has a presence in the world economy," said Mustapa at the forum on the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA). "It has entered into Free Trade Agreements and engaged in dialogues with various countries and regional entities,"he said.

Mustapa pointed out that ASEAN's economy remained vibrant despite current global economic uncertainties by recording a 5.2 percent growth in 2012. "I have no doubt its clout in world affairs will increase further once the ASEAN Framework for Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is concluded,"he said.

At the East Asia Summit in late November 2012, regional leaders formally launched negotiations on RCEP which comprises all 10 ASEAN members and six other countries with which the regional bloc has free trade agreements -- China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

The roadmap for negotiating the RCEP was one of the major topics during the 19th ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) Retreat in Vietnam's capital Hanoi earlier this month.

Mustapa said the RCEP which involves ASEAN and its six trading partner is "one of the most ambitious regional economic integration initiatives in Asia." "It is the collective will of all countries in Asia to work towards strengthening economic integration among them and at the same time contributing towards global economic growth," he added. Endi