The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement will help its participating countries forge more open economic relationships and improve trade liberalisation, officials and experts said on Sunday, China Daily reported.

Jiang Jianguo, the vice-minister of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said as the RCEP covers a large size of the economy, population and trade, it will help participating countries reduce barriers, forge a more open regional economic environment, increase the level of trade liberalisation and the trade volume, as well as improve people's well-being.

He stressed that the media and think tanks can play a vital role in informing the public on government policies related to the RCEP and helping build a consensus among the participating countries and achieve win-win outcomes.

Jiang made the remarks while addressing the opening ceremony of the RCEP Media and Think Tank Forum in Haikou, in Hainan province of China.

Speaking at the event, China Daily publisher and editor-in-chief Zhou Shuchun noted that while the world is facing profound changes rarely seen in a century, as well as the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the global economy is recovering amid tremendous challenges.

"It is widely agreed that the RCEP is bringing significant confidence to Asia and the world, and the trend of economic globalisation is unstoppable," Zhou said.

"As an important force in promoting human development, news media and think tanks shall further leverage their unique role of enhancing mutual understanding and expanding cooperation. They should take the world forward in the right direction by promoting regional economic development and exchanges and mutual learning among civilisations," he added.

Zhou said he expects the forum to become a regular event for media and think tanks in Hainan to further improve communication and to lay a more solid foundation for building consensus and expanding cooperation.

The event on Sunday, taking place both online and offline, attracted more than 300 participants from home and abroad. Addressing the opening ceremony via video, former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd said that he "has always supported free trade because it is conducive to the people, to economic development and to world peace".

This article originally appeared in China Daily and has been reproduced with permission.