China and 14 partners sign world’s biggest trade deal without US

Fifteen countries in the Asia-Pacific region have signed the world’s largest trade deal in terms of GDP. The deal was sealed on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit hosted by Vietnam. The “Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership,” or RCEP, includes 10 Southeast Asian nations, along with China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia. Many in Asia are now hoping the deal will help the pandemic-hit economies get back on track.