Singapore, Nov. 23 -- Free trade agreements (FTAs) are in the news lately. For example, India decided not to sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP). The RCEP had been negotiated, for seven years, by 16 countries. It would have created the world's biggest free trade area.
India's decision not to join the agreement was very disappointing to India's friends, including in Singapore. We want India to play a leading role in our region. We hope that India will decide to join RCEP in the near future.
At home, some Singaporeans have attacked the free trade agreement between Singapore and India, called the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (Ceca), concluded in 2005. The criticism is that Ceca contains a d...