The 16th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership talks kicked off in Indonesia today (Tuesday).

The RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement between the 10 ASEAN member states and six states with which ASEAN has FTAs.

Some analysts think that the RCEP will replace the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, or TPP, to become the largest free trade area in Asia-Pacific region. The agreement has been postponed for two years due to competition with the TPP and disputes between the developed and developing negotiators.

But as both the TPP and Doha talks see no further progress, more and more countries are taking the RCEP as their new choice of free trade. Japan, Australia, Singapore and New Zealand all have shown interest in the agreement.