(ECNS)OfficialdatashowsthatfromJanuarytoAprilthisyear,thetotalimportandexportvolumebetweenChinaandmembersoftheRegionalComprehensiveEconomicPartnership(RCEP)hit4.12trillionyuan(about$576.06billion),up7.3percentyearonyear,accountingfor30.9percentofChina"stotalforeigntradeimportandexportvolume.
TheRCEPagreementwassignedonNov.15,2020amongits15participatingcountriesincludingChina,Australia,Japan,SouthKorea,NewZealand,and10ASEANcountries,andenteredintoforceonJan.1,2022.
XuLina,aspokespersonforChinesesupermarketbrandWumart,saidastheRCEPisfullyimplemented,thepricesofimportedgoodspurchasedbyWumartinRCEPmembercountriesareexpectedtobecheaperandcustomsclearancefurthershortened.
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ImportedgoodsfromRCEPcountriesinWumartsupermarketsincludeNewZealandmilk,Malaysiansnacks,facialcleanserfromSouthKorea,andThaidurian.
FromJanuarytoMaythisyear,ShanghaiCustomsissuedatotalof34,300RCEPcertificatesoforiginwithavalueof11.772billionyuan(about$1.64billion).
ShanghaiSunhoAluminiumFoilCo.,Ltd.,anenterprisebenefitingfromtheRCEP,canproduce83,000metrictonsofhigh-endultra-thindouble-zeroaluminumfoilannually,ofwhichabout70percentareforexport,widelyusedinthepackagingoffood,beveragesandmedicine.
"Weapplied1,058RCEPcertificatesoforiginwithatotalvalueof$67millionlastyear.AfterthefullimplementationoftheRCEPthisyear,ourproductswillbemorequicklyexportedtoRCEPcountrieswithlowerprices,”saidMeiXiaojun,headofthecompany’sforeigntradedepartment.
Withthecertificateoforigin,enterprisescanenjoytariffreductionsequivalenttofivepercentofthecommodityvalue,whichhasloweredexportcostsandhelpedgainmoreoverseasorders,Meiadded.
InordertoensurethatforeigntradeenterprisescanbenefitfromtheRCEPagreementandworkmoreefficiently,ChinaCustomshasestablishedatargetedservicesystem,optimizingcustomsclearanceproceduresandreducingrelatedcoststohelpenterprisesexpandtheRCEPmarket.
Forexample,QingdaoCustomsinShandongProvincecustomizesplansforimportandexportenterprisestoensuretheycanbenefitmorefromtheRCEPagreement.
"AftertheRCEPcameintoeffect,QingdaoCustomsfoundthatwedidn"tenjoyenoughpreferentialtreatmentthroughdataanalysis,soitformulatedaplantohelpusapplyfortariffconcessionsfromRCEPcountries,”saidWangJiashun,whoisinchargeofinternationalbusinessatafoodcompanyinQingdao.
Itisestimatedthatthisyear,rawmaterialslikepineappleandpineapplejuiceimportedfromASEANcountrieswillincreasebymorethan15percentyearonyear,whileforeignexportsareexpectedtoincreaseby10to15percent,Wangadded.
Meanwhile,customsalsoexplainedtheRCEPtariffpoliciestohelpenterprisesoptimizetheirexportlayoutwhilesomeevenpromotedself-serviceprintingandintelligentverificationofcertificatesoforigintohelpenterprisesreducecosts.
Datashowsthatinthefirstfivemonthsofthisyear,ASEANwasChina"slargesttradingpartner,andthetotaltradevaluebetweenthetwosidesreached2.59trillionyuan,up9.9percentyearonyear,whichhashighlightedthedynamismbroughttoforeigntradebytheRCEP.
LiuYu,whoworksforAlibabaInternationalStation,saidinMaythisyear,customerexportsviatheplatformtoRCEPmembercountriesincreasedrapidlyyearonyear.Amongthem,exportstoAustralia,JapanandthePhilippinesincreasedbymorethan15percentyearonyear,andtoSingaporebynearly30percentyearonyear.
Inadditiontoincreasedexportdestinations,theRCEPhasdeepenedcooperationbetweenChineseandforeigncompanies.
Forexample,theproductionworkshopsofNanningQiaohongNewMaterialsCo.,Ltdhavebeenbusysincethebeginningofthisyearduetoincreasingexportorders,withtheoperatingrateremainingatover90percent.
“NanningCustomstoldusthattariffsonourdust-freepapercanbecancelledfromtheprevious15percentwhenenteringthePhilippinemarketduetotheRCEPagreement,”saidLuQi,deputygeneralmanagerofthecompany.
TheRCEPhasalsopromotedthedeepintegrationoftheregionalindustrialchainsupplychain,saidLu,addingthatthecompanycancarryoutmorein-depthcooperationwithitspartnerswithinthischain.
