RCEP Photo:VCG
Multiple Chinese cities recorded strong foreign trade figures with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) member countries so far in 2024, as the world's largest trade pact has been fully implemented across all 15 members for a full year
The RCEP effectively offers regional countries a stable trade environment, generating a continuing drive force to promote international business activities in the face of external headwinds and challenges, Bai Ming, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Thursday.
Since the RCEP entered into full force on June 2, 2023, certificates of origin under the framework have brought benefits to enterprises in terms of tariff reduction and cost savings in foreign trade.
Nanjing Customs in East China's Jiangsu Province issued a total of 113,600 certificates of origin, with a total export value of 33.57 billion yuan ($4.63 billion) which ranked first among all customs in the country. Involved enterprises are estimated to enjoy tariff preferences from other RCEP member countries totaling 503 million yuan, China Media Group reported on Thursday.
In terms of imports, Shanghai Customs has accepted a total of 48,000 RCEP preferential import declarations. The total value of these imports was reported at 40.66 billion yuan, up 45.5 percent year-on-year, while tariff reductions amounted to 1.07 billion yuan, up 70.2 percent year-on-year, ranking first in the country.
The preferential import goods mainly include plastics and related products, machinery and parts, in addition to electrical equipment and components, according to the report.
The system for approving exporters is one area where the RCEP has streamlined trade, allowing approved exporters to issue certificate of origin independently, largely improving declaration efficiency.
A total of 48 enterprises in Jiangsu were confirmed by Nanjing Customs as approved exporters according to RCEP requirements.
The RCEP agreement was signed in November 2020 by the 15 Asia-Pacific countries after eight years of negotiations. It entered into force on the first day of 2022, creating the world's largest trade bloc.
Economies in East Asia and Southeast Asia are the major engine of world's economy growth with strong economic complementarity, and the growth of the RCEP plays a vital role in boosting global economy recovery, Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.
In the first five months of 2024, China's foreign trade with other RCEP member countries reached 5.11 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.5 percent, accounting for over 30 percent of the nation's overall foreign trade, data from China's General Administration of Customs showed.
Xu emphasized that to ensure the steady operation of RCEP, the politization of trade issues as well as "decoupling" from any market players of the region must be avoided. "Bilateral and multilateral business cooperation under the RCEP should be promoted based on market rules, and reduce external impacts from political and securities aspects," he noted.
2024年，中国多个城市与《区域全面经济伙伴关系协定》（RCEP）成员国的外贸数据强劲，全球最大的贸易协定已在所有15个成员国全面实施一整年
RCEP有效地为地区国家提供了稳定的贸易环境，在面对外部逆风和挑战时，为促进国际商业活动提供了持续的动力。 中国国际贸易经济合作研究院研究员白明周四对《环球时报》表示。
自2023年6月2日RCEP全面生效以来，该框架下的原产地证书为企业带来了降税和外贸成本节约等方面的好处。
中国东部江苏省南京海关共签发了113,600份原产地证书，出口总额为335.7亿元人民币（46.3亿美元），在全国所有海关中排名第一。据中央广播电视总台周四报道，据估计，涉事企业将享受来自RCEP其他成员国的关税优惠总额为5.03亿元人民币。
进口方面，上海海关共受理RCEP进口优惠报关单4.8万份。进口总值406.6亿元，同比增长45.5%，关税减免10.7亿元，同比增长70.2%，居全国第一。
报告称，优惠进口商品主要包括塑料及相关产品、机械及零部件，以及电气设备及零部件。
通过出口商审批制度，RCEP简化了贸易，允许经批准的出口商独立签发原产地证书，大大提高了申报效率。
江苏共有48家企业按照RCEP要求被南京海关确认为核准出口商。
经过八年的谈判，15个亚太国家于2020年11月签署了RCEP协议。它于 2022 年的第一天生效，创建了世界上最大的贸易集团。
中国社会科学院东南亚研究中心主任徐丽萍周四对《环球时报》表示，东亚和东南亚经济体是世界经济增长的主要引擎，具有很强的经济互补性，RCEP的增长对推动全球经济复苏起着至关重要的作用。
中国海关总署数据显示，2024年前5个月，中国与其他RCEP成员国的外贸额达到5.11万亿元，同比增长4.5%，占全国外贸总额的30%以上。
徐强调，为确保RCEP稳定运行，必须避免贸易问题政治化以及与该地区任何市场参与者“脱钩”。“RCEP下的双边和多边商业合作应基于市场规则进行，并减少来自政治和证券方面的外部影响，”他指出。
